Man who said he was God after killing father found not guilty, deemed insane

A St. Charles man who claimed he was God after stabbing his father to death in 2017 was found not guilty Thursday when a judge ruled that he was legally insane at the time of the slaying.

John W. Shenko was found not guilty of first-degree murder in the Aug. 13, 2017, killing of his father, 60-year-old Kevin Shenko, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

About 1:15 a.m., deputies responded to reports of a person screaming for help at a home in the 7N200 block of Longridge Road in unincorporated St. Charles Township, the Kane County sheriff’s and state’s attorney’s offices said at the time.

Responding officers found John Shenko on top of his father shouting, “die, die, die,” prosecutors said. Kevin Shenko was pronounced dead after suffering more than 100 stab wounds.

According to prosecutors, John Shenko told investigators “he was God and that he was killing Satan.”

John Shenko was found to be “severely mentally ill” after undergoing a psychological evaluation, prosecutors said. He is now being transferred to a secure facility run by the Illinois Department of Human Services to receive ongoing mental health treatment.

According to Illinois law, Shenko can be held at the facility for up to 60 years.