South Beloit man convicted of attempted murder after victim escapes through second-story window

South Beloit- A three-day jury trial ended Monday with the conviction of a local man on charges including attempted first-degree murder following a violent domestic assault last autumn, Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley announced.

Aquaylis R. Moore, 24, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated domestic battery, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, domestic battery and violation of conditions of pretrial release before Judge Jennifer Clifford.

According to prosecutors, officers with the South Beloit and Rockton Police Departments responded on Oct. 15, 2025, to an apartment building on Blackhawk Boulevard in South Beloit. Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious woman in the building's lobby.

A neighbor reported hearing "the sounds of domestic violence occurring in the apartment above hers," according to a press release from Hanley's office.

The victim, who is the mother of Moore's children, managed to flee the upstairs apartment and suddenly appeared in the lobby, closely followed by Moore. Authorities said Moore "was trying to get her to go back upstairs" before the woman collapsed and lost consciousness. Moore then fled the scene in the victim's vehicle.

Investigators later learned the extreme measures the victim took to escape.

"When the victim regained consciousness at the hospital, she explained Moore had beaten and strangled her to unconsciousness in the room prior to her jumping out of her second story window," the state's attorney's office said. "He pursued her out of her apartment to the lobby, where others intervened and he fled."

As part of the investigation, detectives recovered doorbell camera video from a nearby apartment. The footage captured Moore "whispering to the victim that he was going to kill her before they were separated."

At the time of the attack, Moore was already on pretrial release for separate, pending domestic violence charges involving the same victim. He had been ordered by a court to have no contact with her or her home.

The investigation was spearheaded by the South Beloit and Rockton Police Departments. Assistant State's Attorneys Alex Ronning and Hannah Shelley prosecuted the case.

Moore faces a hefty prison sentence. Attempted first-degree murder is a Class X felony carrying a penalty of six to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. The aggravated domestic battery and vehicle theft charges each carry three to seven years in prison.

Moore is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 1 before Judge Clifford in Courtroom C of the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center.