Highland Park fatal beating: 2 men sentenced to more than a decade in prison

Two Highland Park men will each spend more than a decade in prison for the fatal beating of a 45-year-old man.Fatal beating in Highland ParkNicholas Caban, 24, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison, while Jacob Firestone, 22, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the fatal beating of Matthew Ascaridis, 45, of Highland Park, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors presented evidence in aggravation, including testimony from a Lake County sergeant who said he witnessed Caban make an obscene gesture toward the courtroom audience after his verdict was read in April.The sergeant testified that after the judge left the courtroom, Caban turned toward the audience and raised his middle finger as officers escorted him from the courtroom, prosecutors said.The court also heard five victim-impact statements from Ascaridis' mother, brother, wife and two children.Ascaridis was described as a "loving and devoted" father, husband, son, u