Son has outburst in court after murder charges filed in mom's death
Fearing she could come to harm at her son's hands, Marilyn Wood requested and received an order of protection against him Sept. 26.
Just a few weeks later, Jonathon Wood stood before Cook County Judge James Etchingham Tuesday and defied authorities who charged him with his mother's murder.
"I have never had any violent tendencies. I want that noted for the record," said Wood, a heavyset man with long hair, wearing blue shorts and a white T-shirt.
Etchingham characterized the crime as "brutal and heinous" and set a $3 million bond for the 39-year-old Elk Grove Village man, arrested on Friday after a police chase reaching speeds of up to 95 mph.
Wood is charged with first-degree murder, violating an order of protection and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Elk Grove Village police found Marilyn M. Wood's body in a storage closet in the basement of her home in the 1500 block of White Trail Friday morning after co-workers alerted police she hadn't shown up at her job in Schaumburg.
"She was bound and gagged," assistant state's attorney Michael Gerber said, adding Wood was beaten on the head and body and had cords tied around her neck.
Friends and co-workers at Healthcare Resources, where Wood was a popular employee, called authorities Thursday after she failed to appear. Police checked the house and found nothing unusual, company owner David Dorman said.
The next day, Wood allegedly sent a fax to Healthcare Resources from an insurance company in Arlington Heights that claimed Marilyn would be out of town for a few days due to a death in the family.
Friday night, police spotted Wood driving his mother's Saturn near her house and tried to stop him. He fled and was apprehended in Glencoe along the lakeshore.
Jonathon Wood lived with his mother until Marilyn Wood was granted an order of protection in September prohibiting him from entering the house or having any contact with his mother. Since then, he has stayed in various locations, including motels and in his car, Gerber said.
Wood has a criminal record that includes violating an order of protection against his mother in 2002. He also has convictions for resisting arrest in 2002 and 2006, plus reckless driving, disorderly conduct and public indecency all dating back to 2002.
As Etchingham started to speak, Wood broke in proclaiming his innocence and saying the charges "had been fabricated."
The judge advised him to speak through his attorney and noted "given the nature of his extensive criminal history and propensity for violence," the $3 million bond was warranted.
Wood is due in the Rolling Meadows courthouse again at 9 a.m. today.
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