Naperville slayings: Boy stabbed 100 times, girl 50 times

On the night of October 30, 2012, police found two children stabbed to death in a townhome in Naperville's Brookdale Manor subdivision, on Quin Court. Prosecutors said Justin Plackowski, 7, was stabbed about 100 times, and Olivia Dworakowski, 5, the girl the suspect was babysitting, about 50 times. Both children's throats had been cut. Two family dogs were also found stabbed to death in the home.

It was among the most brutal crimes in the history of a suburb consistently ranked among America's safest cities.

What did prosecutors say happened?

Elzbieta Plackowska, 40, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. At her bond hearing, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Plackowska first blamed the attack on a stalker, then said the children had evil inside them and she was fighting the devil in the house. She eventually told investigators she was angry with her husband, a truck driver who was often gone, because he had left her alone to care for her son and to work as a maid, which she felt was beneath her.

Berlin said Plackowska told detectives she thought that by killing her son Justin, she would make her husband hurt the way she hurt in their relationship. She said she found the children jumping on a bed, made them kneel and pray, and told Justin he was "going to heaven tonight" as he pleaded for her life. Olivia, who prosecutors said was killed because she witnessed the attack, also begged for her life.

Police found Plackowska covered in blood at a nearby friend's home, where her 20-year-old son was staying. A bloody knife was found in her car.

What happened at trial?

Plackowska did not dispute that she committed the killings; her defense was insanity. She told a psychiatrist after the murders that she believed demons had entered the children's bodies and that killing them was allowing them to enter heaven. In September 2017, a DuPage County judge rejected the insanity defense and found her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated cruelty for the dogs' deaths. An Illinois appellate court affirmed the conviction in 2020.

Why did the case shake Naperville so deeply?

The killings happened on a quiet street in a town known for its well-kept subdivisions and top-rated schools. Students at two elementary schools received counseling. The case became a grim touchstone for a truth child-welfare advocates repeat constantly: domestic violence and family tragedy do not respect zip codes, and the signs of a family in crisis are often invisible until it is too late.

FAQ

Where exactly did this happen? In a townhome in the 800 block of Quin Court, in the Brookdale Manor subdivision in northwestern Naperville, where Olivia lived with her mother, Marta Dworakowski, a nurse who was at work.

When were the bodies found? Around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.

Was Plackowska convicted? Yes. A bench trial in 2017 found her guilty of first-degree murder, rejecting her insanity defense; the conviction was upheld on appeal.

What resources exist for families in crisis? In the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) and local crisis lines operate around the clock. In Illinois, the Illinois Domestic Violence Helpline is 1-877-863-6338. If a neighbor or family member seems to be struggling, reaching out early can matter.

The takeaway

Naperville did not become unsafe on October 30, 2012. It became a place where an unfathomable crime happened, and a reminder that the darkest dangers in a family home are often the ones nobody from the outside can see.