I'm having a hard time seeing this man as a first-time offender. The brazenness of the kidnapping, the bragging afterwords, the look of pleasure while attending the vigil, even the very fact that his first abduction culminated in murder. Goodness, this sounds like someone who has done this before! So, in light of his attorney bragging about his not having a criminal record, I am leaning toward he had not been caught yet. Here is a police complaint of a peeping tom in Urbana on October 27, 2016. The suspect was not identified or caught.
https://www.city.urbana.il.us/_Police_Media_Reports/UPD6634.PDF
I know that not all homicidal sex offenders (HSO's) escalate their behavior over time but many do starting with peeping and burglaries.