STERLING, Illinois — A trial date has been set for a former Illinois teacher accused of attempting to murder his then-boyfriend, Benjamin Brainerd, last January.
Mario Garnica, 27, is accused of beating and stabbing Brainerd during a domestic dispute. Garnica is also charged with armed violence and aggravated domestic battery.
Just after 9:30 p.m. January 19, 2015 officers were told a 29-year-old man had cut his own throat after a domestic disturbance involving Garnica.
Brainerd said the dispute turned into a fight and he tried to protect himself but was unable to after Garnica broke both of his arms with a metal pipe. Brainerd said Garnica had been taking steroids for months before the attack.
Garnica was arrested and held in the Lee County Jail on a $300,000 bond but was released on his own recognizance later in August.
Garnica was listed as a first-grade bilingual teacher at Jefferson Elementary School in Sterling, Illinois.
His trial is set to start in September of this year.
