On January 1, 2021, at approximately 1:34 a.m., Illinois State Police responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of Barrington Road and Palatine Road in Barrington Hills, Illinois. Upon arrival, officers discovered 54-year-old Christina Czuj, a female from Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, deceased in the passenger seat of a silver Chevrolet pickup truck. She had sustained gunshot wounds to the back of her head and near her collarbone. The driver, identified as 50-year-old John H.
Breseman of Barrington, Illinois, had placed an emergency call admitting to shooting Czuj while they were on the ramp from Interstate 90 westbound to Barrington Road. Breseman was taken into custody without incident.
According to prosecutors, Breseman and Czuj had been in a relationship for about two years. In the days leading up to the incident, there were indications of turmoil between them. Breseman had expressed dissatisfaction in an email that Czuj was not planning to spend New Year's Eve with him, writing, "Maybe I'm just a jealous fool that loves you very much." In response, Czuj instructed Breseman not to call her again. On the night of the shooting, Breseman claimed that Czuj had attacked him while he was driving, leading him to shoot her in self-defense. However, authorities did not observe any physical evidence of Breseman having been assaulted at the time of his arrest. He later admitted to the shooting, stating, "Self-defense or not, I up. I killed the woman I loved."
Following his arrest, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved one count of first-degree murder against Breseman. He was ordered held without bail and is being held at the Cook County Jail pending trial. The case has been described by the presiding judge as a "head-shaker and a head-scratcher," reflecting the tragic and perplexing nature of the events leading to the death of 54-year-old Christina Czuj.
