Campton Hills man pleads guilty to beating mother to death, mistakenly believing she was an intruder

A Campton Hills man has pleaded guilty to beating his mother to death in 2019, mistakenly believing she was an intruder, according to prosecutors.

Thomas W. Summerwill, 23, agreed to four years of probation and 200 hours of community service in exchange for a guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his mother, 53-year-old Mary B. Summerwill, the Kane County state’s attorney said.

Summerwill cannot consume alcohol and must wear an alcohol-monitoring device for the duration of his probation. He also must undergo intensive alcohol and grief counseling, as well as a psychological evaluation.

On the morning of March 24, 2019, Summerwill awoke to what he believed was an intruder in his bedroom, not realizing it was his mother, the office said. He grabbed a baseball bat and struck Summerwill multiple times in the head.

An investigation revealed Summerwill’s blood-alcohol level was .270 — over five times the legal limit.