Man found guilty of murder in 2013 Elgin stabbing

A man was found guilty Tuesday of murdering his neighbor during a botched burglary in Elgin in 2013.

A Kane County jury took 2 1/2 hours to find Paul Johnson, 36, guilty of stabbing Lisa Koziol-Ellis to death in March 2013, according to a statement from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office.

Sometime between late March 1 and early March 2, Johnson broke into Koziol-Ellis’ townhome in the 1-99 block of Garden Crescent Court in Elgin, thinking no one was there, authorities said.

Koziol-Ellis, who was 19 at the time, found Johnson and he then stabbed her 55 times in the head, neck, torso and arms, according to the state’s attorney’s office. Thirteen of those wounds were defensive and “consistent with being stabbed by a knife and an object such as a screwdriver.”

Koziol-Ellis’ husband found her dead in their home when he returned from work about 2:30 a.m., according to the state’s attorney’s office. Johnson was arrested on March 17.

At the time of the murder, Johnson was on parole for a 2010 residential burglary conviction. He was convicted of armed robbery twice in 2001, authorities said.

Johnson is being held in the Kane County Jail until his next court appearance, scheduled for Aug. 10, according to the state’s attorney’s office.