Warrenville woman charged with murdering her baby's father

A 27-year-old Warrenville woman has been charged with murdering the father of her daughter during an argument.

Bail was set at $1 million Wednesday for Deanna Coakley, according to a news release from the DuPage County state's attorney's office.

She was charged Tuesday with one count of first-degree murder. Warrenville police officers responded about 6:51 p.m. Sunday to an apartment near Warrenville and Winfield roads for a report of a woman screaming.

They found the victim, 31-year-old Joseph Strock, near the apartment in front of the door. He was bleeding from his neck.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Coakley stabbed Strock in the right side of his neck with a kitchen knife, authorities said. She was arrested on Sunday night.

To be freed pretrial, Coakley would need to post $100,000.

Strock and Coakley lived together, according to Warrenville Police Chief Raymond Turano. According to court records, Judge Daniel Guerin ordered that Coakley's public defender be allowed to visit her in the jail to take photographs of any injuries.

In addition, Coakley is allowed to pump and preserve breast milk for her daughter, subject to jail rules and regulations.

Her next court date is March 10. It is the first murder in Warrenville since 2004.

In that case, a Maywood man was convicted of shooting a 17-year-old woman who was a childhood friend because she had filed battery charges against him.

Joseph Matthews was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

"It (murder) is very infrequent. Warrenville is a very safe community," Turano said Wednesday.

The baby is less than a year old. She and her 7-year-old brother - who has a different father - are staying with Coakley's parents.

Turano confirmed the police department has responded to complaints about Coakley at another Warrenville residence. But that they had not previously been called to Coakley's current home.