Domestic violence part of 2014 Lake County murder hike
Of the 15 murders recorded in Lake County in 2014, four were particularly chilling because family members were charged in the deaths.
They included a 14-year-old Mundelein girl accused of stabbing of a younger half sister, a Waukegan woman charged with killing her malnourished 11-year-old daughter with a punch to the stomach, and a Waukegan man charged in the strangulation of his wife and disabled daughter.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said domestic violence is not just troubling but one of the most difficult kinds of crime to prosecute because the suspect often has no prior involvement with the legal system.
"The family dynamic presents unique challenges because so often this crime occurs behind closed doors and can go on for some time before there is any contact with the police," Nerheim said.
The 15 murders in Lake County in 2014 is one more than in 2013. The total is far lower than the high water mark of 25 in 1982 and 1994.
"Overall crime rates continue to trend downward, but the number of murder cases in Lake County is too high," Nerheim said. "Everybody in law enforcement would like to see that number at zero."
The 2014 murder total is made up of a mix of shootings and stabbings, but the three cases involving people who died at the hands of family members were among the highest-profile.
It was just three weeks into the new year when authorities said a 14-year-old girl stabbed her 11-year-old half sister, Dora Betancourt, more than 30 times with a kitchen knife in the bedroom of their Mundelein townhouse. The girls were home alone at the time, authorities said.
Authorities said the teen confessed to killing Betancourt because she felt unappreciated.
The Daily Herald is not publishing the name of the teen out of respect for court instructions that she not be identified. Attorneys said a plea deal is in place and could be approved Jan. 27.
About six months later, 54-year-old Anthony Marcus of Waukegan asphyxiated his wife, Sun Marcus, 50, and Samantha Marcus, his 17-year-old disabled daughter, before he unsuccessfully tried to kill himself on the 4100 block of Continental Drive, authorities said. The family dog was also found dead, police said.
Marcus was taken to a hospital where he was treated. He remains held in Lake County jail on $5 million bail, with a trial date set for Feb. 17.
Nicholette Lawrence, 32, of Waukegan faces first-degree murder charges in the death of her malnourished 11-year-old daughter, Raasania Coley, in September, authorities said. Authorities said Lawrence told them she punched Coley in the stomach and the girl died two days later. Coley had been vomiting blood before her death.
Nerheim said the county has been working to fend off future domestic violence through treatment and education.
"The Lake County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council is a collaborative effort combining law enforcement, the courts, treatment providers, faith-based organization and victim services, and works to provide effective treatment for offenders and make sure that victims of abuse are encouraged to come forward and supported when they do," he said.
The Lake County coroner's office said there were 27 homicides - defined as one human dying at the hands of another - in the county in 2014.
A dozen of those deaths involved drugs, vehicle accidents or police-involved shootings. John T. Nightingale, 36, and Christopher M. Anderson, 27, were shot and killed by police. They are listed as homicides, not murders, because prosecutors determined officers followed proper protocol and the shootings were justified.
Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose said the best way to reduce the number of homicides in society is to recognize the early warning signs in people and "get in front of it."
"Some of this goes to what we see as being acceptable in a family or in society," Rose said. "For example, schools and families have placed emphasis on bullying, and now everyone is trying to reduce it."
He added, "We can have an impact on homicides by recognizing those early warning signs, be aware of those behaviors and educating the public to react to those signals and passing the information on to the appropriate authorities."