Carpentersville woman sentenced to 25 years for fatal stabbing

A Carptentersville woman who pleaded guilty in February to fatally stabbing her sister in 2014 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Sandra L. Baumgartner, 57, pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Feb. 2 to a charge of first-degree murder, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. She was sentenced Thursday by Judge Linda Abrahamson.

“This defendant is a dangerous person who suffers from a significant mental illness,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “Incarceration is the only way to keep the public safe from her. I wish there were better alternatives and opportunities for treatment.”

Baumgartner, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, stabbed her sister multiple times with a knife on Sept. 29, 2014, prosecutors said.

She has been held at the Kane County Jail since her arrest.