Man accused of murdering mother in Burr Ridge

A Burr Ridge man has been charged with first-degree murder, accused of attacking his mother with a small sledgehammer.

Oscar Rodriguez Jr., 37, of the 9100 block of South Madison Street, is being detained in the DuPage County jail pretrial, according to court records. He made his first appearance in court Sunday, followed by a detention hearing Monday afternoon.

According to a prosecutor’s petition for detention, police were called to a home in Burr Ridge around 6:28 p.m. Friday by the victim’s daughter.

They found Virna Rodriguez, 57, sitting on the floor, propped up against a chair. She was unconscious, bleeding from wounds to her head and vomiting blood, according to the petition.

She underwent surgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove but died Sunday, according to the petition. Hospital workers told police it was “the worst skull fracture” they had ever seen, according to the petition.

Police believe Rodriguez attacked Virna Rodriguez with a small sledgehammer, which they found outside in the snow.

The daughter told police that she heard her mother scream and started going downstairs to investigate. When Rodriguez saw her, he chased her. She locked herself in a bedroom, but he broke the door open. She said she then locked herself in a bathroom, and he beat on that door before leaving, according to the petition.

Rodriguez’s father told police that Rodriguez has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and argues with relatives when they ask him to clean up after himself. Police said they had been called to the house “numerous” times for reports of verbal and physical domestic abuse between Rodriguez and his relatives, according to the petition.

Rodriguez’s next court date is March 13.