DeKalb man accused of attempted murder in peanut butter stabbing

SYCAMORE – A DeKalb man suffered serious injuries Sunday after police said another man, now charged with attempted murder, stabbed him with a butter knife during a quarrel over peanut butter and jelly, according to court records.

Javaughn J. Owens, 23, is charged with first-degree attempted murder following the stabbing in the 1000 block of South Seventh Street reported in DeKalb about 3:37 p.m. Sunday, according to court records.

If convicted, Owens could face up to 30 years in prison or an extended sentence of up to 60 years. He was ordered detained pending trial during a hearing Monday from DeKalb County jail in Sycamore.

“The defendant’s only 23 years old and now has pleaded guilty to two crimes of violence and he has three crimes of violence pending,” Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery said Monday. “All occurred within 18 months. The stab wounds the victim received were sufficiently serious that he had to be transferred from a local hospital to a Chicago hospital to be treated.”

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital staff reported a stabbing victim to DeKalb police Sunday, according to DeKalb County court records. A witness told police that Owens and another man “were arguing over peanut-butter [sic] and the [victim] not cleaning up after themselves,” police wrote in court records. The witness said she tried to put herself between the two men to de-escalate the argument, but Owens pulled out a butter knife and “swung it over her shoulder,” striking the other man.

The witness said she told Owens to leave to cool off. She brought the victim to Kishwaukee Hospital. The man was transferred to a Chicago hospital to undergo further treatment after he suffered five stab wounds, prosecutors said.

The victim told police that he and Owens got into an argument because “someone left peanut butter and jelly on the counter.” He said they began arguing, Owens pulled out a butter knife and then the victim “began throwing punches” at Owens. The victim told police he didn’t realize he’d been stabbed until he became lightheaded, court records show.

The victim suffered lacerations to the left side of his hip, lower left back, right armpit, back of his right shoulder bone and the right side of his collar bone, court records state.

When police asked the victim if he believed Owens would kill him, the victim said “yes, one-hundred percent,” according to court records. Doctors told police the stab wounds punctured an intestine.

Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery cited Owens’ violent criminal history and his inability to follow court orders. Owens was on probation for a different crime at the time of the stabbing, Montgomery said reading from court records.

Owens pleaded guilty to a Jan. 20, 2023, aggravated robbery. He also pleaded guilty to a Jan. 16, 2023, burglary during which police said he broke into a drug store and stole prescription medication, court records show. Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick on Jan. 4, 2024, sentenced Owens on both pleas to 180 days in jail, 30 months probation, and drug addiction and mental health treatment court, records show.

Owens is represented by the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office. His lawyer, Chip Criswell, had argued for his release, saying he may have acted in self-defense.

Owens is expected to appear for a status hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 21.