Man indicted in Hanover Park slaying of former co-worker
A DuPage County grand jury indicted a Crystal Lake man with a history of violence against women in the brutal slaying of a former co-worker whom he briefly dated in Hanover Park.
Ronald O'Rourke, 46, is facing seven counts of first-degree murder, home invasion and residential burglary charges. Prosecutors have not decided yet whether they'll seek the death penalty.
DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said Wednesday that O'Rourke is eligible for capital punishment, given the allegations, but the prosecutor said he must weigh that against O'Rourke's criminal history, personal background, mental and physical health, as well as the wishes of the slain woman's family.
Prosecutors have 120 days from indictment to announce their death penalty intentions.
"On its face, it's a capital-eligible murder," Birkett said, "but I won't make a final decision until I've taken all those steps."
O'Rourke is accused of stabbing Pamela Sue Howat, 51, early June 6 after she interrupted him burglarizing her home near County Farm Road and Lawrence Avenue, the fourth murder to have rocked the village in recent weeks.
A friend later discovered Howat's body, lying in the first-floor utility room, where authorities said the fatal confrontation took place, with as many as 10 stab wounds about her neck and head. The murder weapon - a pair of gardening shears - was found near her body, prosecutors said.
Howat likely surprised her attacker after arriving home from the Bartlett Fresh Market, where she was last seen alive about 9:30 a.m. June 6. Some of the grocery bags remained in her car.
Prosecutors said O'Rourke, a former truck driver, immediately became a suspect. In fact, they said, Howat earlier complained to her son and a friend that she suspected O'Rourke, a former co-worker whom she met in late 2005 and briefly dated, was stealing from her.
Prosecutors said O'Rourke, a "lifelong crack addict," confessed in a videotaped interview to murdering Howat, but he said it was in self-defense after she came at him with the shears. Besides the confession, authorities said they also have phone records showing O'Rourke called Howat's house at 7:43 a.m. the day of the murder.
He also had a cut on his hand. Prosecutors requested his DNA to compare his blood against that collected in an upstairs room in Howat's home.
Prosecutor Joseph Ruggiero presented evidence Tuesday to a DuPage County grand jury, whose members promptly handed up the nine-count felony indictment, according to court records released Wednesday.
O'Rourke's criminal history includes a six-month stint in an Oregon prison for stabbing a prostitute in the face in a 2004 attack in which he also said he acted in self-defense.
In the past, at least two McHenry County women with whom he's had romantic relationships filed protective orders and battery charges against him for physical abuse.
O'Rourke, formerly of 235 Evergreen, Crystal Lake, is being held in the DuPage County jail without bond. He is expected to be arraigned July 13 before DuPage Circuit Judge Kathryn Creswell in Wheaton.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=299388">Prosecutor: Former co-worker killed Hanover Pk. woman during burglary <span class="date">[6/9/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=299329">Arrest made in Hanover Park woman's slaying <span class="date">[6/9/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>