A man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter last year at the home they shared in Beach Park, Illinois, in Chicago's northern suburbs.

Demetrius Fisher, 32, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of attempted murder and was sentenced to 27 years in prison, according to Lake County court records.

On Feb. 15, 2024, Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a stabbing inside a home in the 38000 block of North Manor Avenue in Beach Park.

When deputies arrived, they found a 9-year-old girl who had been stabbed multiple times. She was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical condition.

Police learned Fisher, who was dating the girl's mother and living in the home with the family, had left the home before deputies arrived. He was later arrested at a Metra station in Waukegan, and Lake County prosecutors said he admitted to stabbing the girl.

When he was told she was still alive, he was surprised and told investigators, "But did you see her neck?"

Prosecutors said Fisher had covered his hand with an oven mitt and started punching the girl before pulling a knife on her. She was found with wounds to her arms, back, and neck.

Fisher has been held at the Lake County Jail since his arrest, and will be given credit for the 574 days he'd already served in custody before he was sentenced.

It's unclear where he will serve his prison sentence.