Algonquin man charged with fatally stabbing girlfriend in Schaumburg home

An Algonquin man fatally stabbed his 48-year-old girlfriend during a dispute early Saturday in a Schaumburg home, authorities said Sunday.

Anthony R. Prate, 55, of the 1400 block of Spring Hill Drive, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Malgorzatta B. (Margaret) Daniel, who was found dead about 1:31 a.m. with more than 20 cutting injuries, Schaumburg police said Sunday.

Police said they responded to the home on Arbor Glen Boulevard after Prate called 911 to report that he and his girlfriend were injured after a fight involving a knife.

Prate was taken by firefighters to a hospital for treatment of injuries to his hands and arms. He later was released from the hospital and taken into police custody for further questioning, authorities said.

The medical examiner's office completed an autopsy Sunday and ruled the death a homicide. After reviewing the facts of the case, the Cook County state's attorney's office approved the murder charge, police said.

Prate had a domestic battery charge pending from earlier in the year, records show, but it's unclear who the victim would be. He also was behind the wheel in a Lake in the Hills crash that killed his wife, Bridget Prate, in 2011, but reports don't show he was accused of any crime.

Prate remains in police custody pending a scheduled appearance in bond court Monday at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows.

Mary Chappell contributed to this report.