Manuela Rodriguez | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eight killed throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 09:02:30 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Six men were fatally shot, one man was stabbed to death and a baby had her neck slashed with a saw in slayings throughout Chicago last week.

Four of the slayings happened over the weekend, when at least 24 other people were shot and wounded.

The most recent killings happened when 23-year-old Andre Chatman and 28-year-old Carey Hollis were shot while in a car in the 5800 block of West North Avenue in the Austin community about 3:45 p.m. Sunday, police said.

After the shooting, the wounded driver continued east and crashed about a block away, police said.

Chatham and Hollis, who both lived in the 1000 block of North Mayfield Avenue, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the Portage Park neighborhood, 16-year-old Giovanni Matos was shot in the head in the 5800 block of West Patterson Avenue during an argument with a group in a passing vehicle about 12:50 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Matos, of the 5500 block of West Henderson Street, died hours later at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center hours later, according to the medical examiner's office.

In the Albany Park neighborhood, 19-year-old Talal Aljohani was found stabbed to death in his apartment in the 5000 block of North Harding Avenue about 4 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Police called the attack domestic related.

On Monday, police found 26-year-old Larry Hardin Jr. shot on a sidewalk in the 9200 block of South Ada Street in the Washington Heights community about 7:35 p.m., authorities said.

Hardwin, of the 1400 block of East 90th Street, was shot in the head and died at the scene, authorities said.

In the Roseland community, 77-year-old Odell Branch was fatally shot in the 200 block of West 105th Street about 6:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Branch was watching TV with his 5-year-old great-grandson when bullets came through a window, authorities said.

Branch was shot in the head and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said. The 5-year-old was shot in the arm and also taken to Christ Medical Center, police said.

Branch’s granddaughter and 2-year-old great-granddaughter were also wounded as they attempted to enter a vehicle when the gunfire erupted, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the killing, but on Sunday police released surveillance video of the potential suspects.

In the Uptown neighborhood, 20-year-old Troy Phelon was shot in the chest in the 900 block of West Agatite Avenue about 2:55 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Phelon, of the 300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The killing started when 52-year-old Manuela Rodriguez killed her 7-month-old granddaughter, Rose Herrera, in the 2800 block of South Avers Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood about 9:30 a.m. Monday, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez allegedly stuffed a sock deep down her 7-month-old granddaughter’s throat, bashed the infant’s head with a metal pipe wrench and used a motorized circular saw to slash the baby’s neck, chest and shoulder, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez, who cut her own throat, allegedly admitted to paramedics and detectives that she viciously attacked Rose Herrera because she wanted her to stop crying while she babysat, prosecutors said. She was charged with first-degree murder and was ordered held without bond.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 60 Chicago deaths in 2015 a homicide.

Little Village grandmother held without bond in infant granddaughter's grisly murder

Michael Lansu — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:32:37 -0500

Manuela Rodriguez / Photo from Chicago Police

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

After Maneula Rodriguez allegedly stuffed a sock deep down her 7-month-old granddaughter’s throat, bashed the infant’s head with a metal pipe wrench and used a motorized circular saw to slash the baby’s neck, chest and shoulder, she called her sister to tell her what she had done, prosecutors said.

“I did it,” Chicago Police claim Rodriguez said in Spanish when officers arrived on the bloody scene in the Little Village two-flat on Monday.

“I killed her.”

Rodriguez, who cut her own throat, allegedly admitted to paramedics and detectives that she viciously attacked Rose Herrera because she wanted her to stop crying while she babysat.

In court Wednesday, Rodriguez’s attorney, Ignatius Villasenor, said his client has a “diminished mental capacity” and tried to seek help with her problems before the tragedy.

Judge Maria Kuriakos-Cecil held 52-year-old Rodriguez without bond and ordered her to be housed at the Cook County Jail’s Cermak Hospital while she awaits trial.

Rodriguez “is not only a danger to society but a danger to herself,” the judge said as Rodriguez looked on wearing a paper gown.

Two of Rodriguez’s relatives who attended Wednesday’s court hearing refused comment.

Villasenor told reporters Rodriguez’s distraught family described her as a “sweet and wonderful” person and that nothing indicated that Rose was in danger while in her maternal grandmother’s care.

Ignatius Villasenor / Photo by Rummana Hussain

Rodriguez watched Rose everyday while her other family members went to work, Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn said.

Rodriguez lived with her common-law husband on the first floor of the building and her two daughters and two grandchildren lived on the second floor in the 2800 block of South Avers Avenue, Quinn said.

The morning Rose died, Rodriguez had been watching the child on the second floor since 7:45 a.m. while her common law husband went to drive Rosie’s 24-year-old mother to work, authorities said.

He returned to the couple’s first-floor unit at 9 a.m. and was later alerted by Rodriguez’s sister about the phone call, in which Rodriguez had admitted to killing Rose, Quinn said.

When the two went upstairs and looked through the window of the second-floor apartment, they saw Rodriguez and Rose lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor, Quinn said.

Rodriguez again admitted her role in Rose’s death when her sister and common-law husband came inside.

Rose was pronounced dead on the scene.

Emergency workers found the saw entangled in Rodriguez’s clothes and also observed an 18-inch pipe wrench nearby, Quinn said.

A Tuesday autopsy determined she died of blunt force injuries to the head, with suffocation from a sock being placed in her mouth a contributing factor, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Quinn added that Rose died from two strikes she received on both sides of her head.

The baby also suffered a large hemorrhage inside her skull and most likely suffocated after the sock was shoved down her mouth, Quinn said.

By the time Rodriguez started piercing Rose’s tiny body with the saw, she was already dead, authorities said.

She will be back in court March 30.

Manuela Rodriguez charged with murder after granddaughter killed with saw in Little Village

Michael Lansu — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 17:10:11 -0500

Manuela Rodriguez / Photo from Chicago Police

BY SUN-TIMES STAFF

A 52-year-old woman has been charged with murder after her 7-month-old granddaughter's neck was slashed with a circular saw in the Little Village neighborhood on Monday.

Manuela Rodriguez, of the 2800 block of South Avers Avenue, is charged with one count of first-degree murder, according to Cook County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. A bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Investigators suspect the woman used the saw to stop 7-month-old Rose Herrera from crying, authorities said.

Family members told authorities the woman, who had been taking care of Rose in the house, had been taking antidepressant medication.

Authorities responding to a 911 call arrived at the home about 9:30 a.m. Monday and found the baby dead on the scene, police said.

A police source said the grandmother stuffed a sock in the girl’s mouth, struck her in the head with a pipe wrench, then cut her neck and shoulder with the circular saw. She then cut her own neck with the saw.

She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with the self-inflicted wounds, police said. Her condition had stabilized.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has no record of previous contact with the family, spokeswoman Veronica Resa said, citing initial reports.

Ben Llamas stood outside the home on Avers Monday morning. He said his best friend, who shows him pictures of his baby every day, lives in the house.

Llamas, who works with his friend at a grain elevator, said his pal became distraught after receiving a phone call Monday.

“He seemed upset. I said, ‘You can’t drive.’ So I brought him here.’ ”

Llamas said his friend moved into that house about a year ago with a woman, and her parents live there as well.

A neighbor said the family lives on the second floor of the building, while the owners of the property live on the first floor.

Scene where a baby was found dead / Photo by Stefano Esposito