A man already serving time for attempted murder for beating and paralyzing his girlfriend Rhonda Stevenson has charged with murder after she died a quadriplegic.
Leshard Jackson | Cook County Sheriff’s Dept.
Leshard Jackson, 36, was already serving a 20-year sentence for choking Stevenson on June 13, 2007.
As a result of the assault, she was paralyzed from the neck down until she died April 11 at age 58 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Holly Grosshans said in court.
Earlier on the day Jackson attacked her, Stevenson drove to the 3rd District police station and asked officers to remove Jackson from the car because he refused to get out, Grosshans said.
When they returned home in the 2300 block of East 69th Street, they eventually started arguing again. At some point, Jackson choked Stevenson until she passed out, Grosshans said.
When Stevenson awoke, she couldn’t move. She asked Jackson to call an ambulance, Grosshans said. Jackson did but told Stevenson to tell medical personnel she fell and hit her head, Grosshans said.
Stevenson was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she told staff that Jackson had choked her.
Jackson later wrote a handwritten statement admitting what he had done, Grosshans said.
Judge Donald Panarese ordered Jackson held on $2 million bail on Thursday for the murder charge.