Road Rage Battery Case Becomes Murder When Romeoville Man Dies

Christopher Yeoman was looking at nothing more than a misdemeanor battery case when the first arrested him for allegedly punching a man at a stoplight in June 2011.

But as the health of Yeoman's alleged victim deteriorated, the charges were boosted to felony aggravated battery of a senior citizen.

Then the man Yeoman allegedly punched, 64-year-old Frank Egas of Romeovliie, died in a Lake County nursing home in September, and Yeoman is now up on a second-degree murder case.

Yeoman, 40, was arraigned on the new charges Tuesday morning in Will County Court. The Lake County coroner determined that Egas succumbed to injuries he suffered in the June 2011 incident, Assistant State's Attorney Chris Koch said. Yeoman had previously posted $75,000 bond for his freedom.

On Tuesday morning, he was taken into custody on the murder charges and transported to the Will County jail. Judge Sarah Jones tacked another $25,000 onto Yeoman's bond during the arraignment. Yeoman's wife was in the courtroom holding the cash to get him out.

Yeoman and Egas first crossed paths near the intersection of New Avenue and 135th Street about 4:30 p.m. on June 2, 2011, where they engaged in a "traffic altercation," police said. The situation escalated as they drove west on 135th, and the men got out of their vehicles after stopping for a light at Route 53, police said. Yeoman punched Egas in the face, according to court papers, and Egas hit the ground.

Police and paramedics arrived to find Egas on the pavement but Yeoman had reportedly taken off. He was tracked down at a relative's home in Lemont, police said. According to his obituary, Egas "immigrated from Ecuador to the United States when he was 9 years old. He earned his naturalization by volunteering to serve in the US Army in the Vietnam War."

Yeoman's attorney, Clifford Johnson, mentioned that his client had not been arrested since he was picked up on a felony drug charge in the 1990s. Johnson said Yeoman is a carpenter and the father of three children.