Court Affirms Sentence For Lisle Home Invasion, Sex Assault

LISLE, IL — An appeals court has affirmed the 100-year sentence for Roberto Noyola-Espinal, who was convicted in 2107 of invading a 63-year-old Lisle woman's home and sexually assaulting her in 1999. Noyola-Espinal had appealed the sentence, asserting that it was excessive, but the appellate court ruled that the sentence, which was 20 years less than the maximum, was not an abuse of discretion."

According to DuPage County courts, Noyola-Espinal knocked on the woman's door and forced his way into her apartment on Feb. 7, 1999. He then physically and sexually assaulted her, leaving her with bruising, abrasions and a cut on her chin.

The woman went to a neighbor's house and called the police. During an investigaton by Lisle police, "a DNA profile of the suspect was entered into the federal Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)," according to DuPage County courts.

Noyola-Espinal was arrested in 2013 in Houston, Texas, for re-entering the United States illegally after fleeing the country. A DNA sample was taken, which matched with the CODIS DNA from the 1999 case.

Noyola-Espinal was extradited to DuPage County, where he underwent a trial in 2017 that led to his conviction.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement, "After committing such a brutal crime, Mr. Noyola-Espinal thought he could avoid responsibility by fleeing the country. Seventeen years later justice caught up with him resulting in a well-deserved 100-hundred-year sentence. His appeal was nothing short of a second attempt to avoid accountability for his actions and the resulting sentence. While the victim in this case lived long enough to see Mr. Noyola-Espinal charged for the crimes he committed against her, she unfortunately passed away prior to his guilty verdict and sentencing. Justice in DuPage County however, does not stop and will not be denied."