2 charged with murder after ‘brutal attack’ at Fort Sheridan Forest Reserve: prosecutors

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Two men now face second-degree murder charges in the death of a man in a Lake County forest preserve last September.

Lake County prosecutors have linked 20-year-old Nicholas Caban and 19-year-old Jacob Firestone to the death of 45-year-old Matthew Askaridis, whose body was found in the Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve on Sept. 17, 2022, in the first block of Cliff Road.

SEE ALSO | Suspect charged in Fort Sheridan forest preserve death

Prosecutors say Askaridis had a “violent confrontation” with Caban and Firestone outside his home that led to his death. Authorities said the roundworm allegedly approached the two men because they were making loud noises on the lakeshore around 1 a.m.

BACKGROUND: A body was found on the shore of Lake Michigan in Highland Park

Authorities later found a semi-automatic handgun without a serial number during a search of Caban’s home, although authorities said the weapon was not used during the physical altercation.

“We have kept the family updated on the progress of the investigation and will continue to support them after this brutal attack took their husband, brother, father, son and friend,” said State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart.

The trial of both will take place on March 17.