Highland Park man killed over noise complaint gets 18-year prison term for killer

Nicholas Caban will spend the next 18 years behind bars for his role in the fatal beating of a Highland Park resident, a Lake County judge ruled on Tuesday. Jacob Firestone, the other man convicted in the case, received a 14-year sentence. Both offenders were held in the Lake County Jail pending their move to a state facility.

The violence began in the early morning hours of September 17, 2022, on the lakeshore near Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve. Ascaridis, a father and businessman, stepped outside around 1 a.m. to ask two neighbors to lower their volume. By the time a passerby found Ascaridis' body partially submerged in the water four hours later, he was dead.

Caban and Firestone also called 911 around the time of the discovery. They told dispatchers they needed medical attention and admitted to a prior confrontation with Ascaridis. Hospital records and a search warrant for Caban's home led investigators to a gun with a defaced serial number. Initial arrests focused on weapons and obstruction charges before both men faced homicide counts in March 2023.

A Lake County jury returned second-degree murder convictions for both men in April. Prosecutors pointed to Caban's demeanor during the trial as evidence of his character. They noted that he raised his middle finger toward the courtroom audience after the verdict was read, a gesture they argued showed a lack of remorse.

The maximum penalty for the conviction was 20 years. The judge set the terms at 18 and 14 years, respectively, ending the legal proceedings that began with a noise complaint on a suburban beach.