An assisted-living facility worker who was found guilty of raping and impregnating a severely disabled woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his despicable crimes.
Isaiah Fields, 23, of Batavia, Illinois, was a caregiver for the residents of Marklund’s Hyde Center in Geneva in August 2023. The center is home to residents with physical and mental disabilities.
The convicted rapist was responsible for bathing, dressing and providing all-around assistance to the 43-year-old victim, who has lived there for more than two decades.
The helpless woman has Rett syndrome, a disorder that prevents her from reading, writing, talking, standing or using her hands, the Daily Herald reported.
In April 2024, she was rushed to the hospital for liver and gallbladder tests. There, doctors made the gut-wrenching discovery.
She was been between 31 and 35 weeks pregnant and was suffering from preeclampsia – which causes high blood pressure and signs of liver or kidney damage in pregnant women.
Due to her condition, she had a distended mid-section that concealed her pregnancy, her mother testified in court. After an emergency Caesarean section, the child was taken to a neonatal intensive care unit for 11 weeks.
The baby named R.J. did not make it.
‘R.J. didn’t live long in this world. But simply by coming into this world, he did justice for his mother,’ prosecutor Matthew Rodgers said on Friday.
DNA from the child was compared to three male staffers at the residential facility. The results matched with Fields’.
Once his results came back positive, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office secured a sealed order for his arrest, according to a statement from Kane County’s States’ Attorney’s Office.
On January 14, he pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual assault – a Class X felony.
A Class X felony is the most serious type of felony in the state of Illinois. These charges carry a minimum prison sentence of six to 30 years.
Fields appeared in court on Friday for sentencing. He must serve at least 85 percent of his prison time before being eligible for parole.
He is also registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
During the hearing, he told Kane County Judge John Barsanti he was regretful of his actions and wanted to apologize for his conduct.
Fields pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual assault in January and was sentenced on Friday
‘There is no reason or set of experiences that could justify hurting anyone in any way,’ he said.
Prefacing his explanation with ‘by no means am I asking for pass,’ Fields claimed his actions may have been influenced by prior experiences with drug use and sexual abuse, the Daily Herald reported.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser said in a statement on Friday: ‘Today’s sentencing holds Isaiah Fields accountable for his heinous actions and the profound harm he caused to a vulnerable individual who was unable to protect themselves.
‘This sentence reflects the gravity of his crime, and we remain committed to safeguarding the most vulnerable members of our community from exploitation and harm.’
Rodgers added: ‘Isaiah Fields preyed on this vulnerable victim because of her physical and intellectual disability.
‘While no sentence can undo the harm caused, today’s outcome ensures that the defendant will be held accountable for his despicable act. It also represents justice for the victim, her family and the Marklund community.’
In a statement to the Daily Herald, Marklund’s CEO Gil Fonger said the facility is ‘satisfied to see justice served.’
This was not Fields’ first offence of sexual violence. In January, he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse for grabbing an Alabama woman’s breasts while she was asleep on the couch in 2023. He was sentenced to one year in jail for that offence.
