Community Corner
Names in the News: Trial Begins for 'Coma-Puncher'
Trial has begun for a man accused of punching another so severely in 2009, that the man remains in a coma today.
Joseph Messina, 23, faces aggravated battery charges for an alleged attack that broke Eric Bartels' skull and damaged his brain during an altercation outside Mokena bar 191 South in 2009.
The New Lenox man, who is charged with putting Bartels into a coma with a punch, allegedly stood over his victim and celebrated his "victory," a witness testified.
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