Brother of slain Conant student thanks community

Wearing a green bracelet honoring his sister's memory around his right wrist and squeezing a strip of purple ribbon in his left hand, Jeff Engelhardt thanked the public Saturday for helping him cope.

"This, honestly, helps me get through the day," he said at a fundraiser at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates.

"It all means so much to me, and it would be much tougher without the support that (people have) shown me and all that they've done. It means everything to me at this point."

Engelhardt met with faculty and his younger sister's friends at Saturday's event. They watched groups of glassy-eyed mourners read and write memorial messages at a display honoring 18-year-old Laura Engelhardt, a senior at the Hoffman Estates school.

Laura, her father Alan and grandmother Marlene Gacek were murdered April 17 at their Hoffman Estates home. Jeff's mother, Shelly, was also wounded, but is recovering.

School officials raised $4,500 from the sale of purple ribbons. Mourners tied the ribbons around trees, staircase rails and other school areas. Katie McCoy, one of Laura's closest friends, sold 315 rubber bracelets in Laura's memory for $2 each. She also received other donations that she hasn't tallied yet in addition to the $630 from the bracelets, which she'll continue selling during lunch periods.

The donations are going to a fund established by St. Peter Lutheran Church in Schaumburg. Purple symbolizes domestic violence awareness, while green was Laura Engelhardt's favorite color.

Friends believe increased awareness may have made a difference, as D'Andre Howard, the boyfriend of Laura's sister, is charged in the murders. Authorities haven't alleged violence in that relationship before the slayings.

With the sun beaming through the school's windows, Jeff Engelhardt said he finally found time to shave his beard, leaving a little stubble underneath his chin. He planned to return to his parents' home on Saturday for the first time since the tragedy.

Funeral arrangements are among the many tasks he's trying to address. He's a senior at Southern Illinois University, and said he's been staying with different family members and friends this past week, not wanting to overwhelm anyone.

"It gets harder every day, and I can definitely feel it starting to really set in," Engelhardt said. "But right now it's still, there's still so much going through my head."

Engelhardt said he hasn't heard the 911 call made the day of the slayings and he has no plans to listen to the recording.

His mother, Shelly, remains at the hospital in good condition, a positive sign, as she had been listed in critical condition at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates for much of the week. She could be discharged in a day or two, Engelhardt said.

"She's doing everything. She's reading. She's checking e-mails. She's watching movies. She's walking around," he said.

Meanwhile, Howard, the 20-year-old charged in the murders, remains in jail without bond. Howard and Amanda Engelhardt have an 8-month-old daughter. The three were inside the house during the murders. Mother and baby are staying with family in the area, Jeff Engelhardt said.

"Amanda's doing OK, she's got a lot of support from the family," Engelhardt said.

Jeff's aunt, Sandra, was also inside the house. She's also faring better. However, Engelhardt wouldn't say much about Howard.

"The courts, the cops, they'll take care of that," he said. "He's not my concern right now."

Services are tentatively planned with a wake from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday at Ahlgrim Funeral Home in Schaumburg. Mass is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Peter in Schaumburg. A Mass for Gacek is tentatively set for either at noon or 1 p.m. Friday at St. Hubert Catholic Church in Hoffman Estates.

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