In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old Indian origin American student was sexually assaulted and then strangled to death in Chicago. Identified as Ruth George, the young girl was an honours student at the University of Illinois. The brutal murder has shocked the community in the region.
The teen, originally from Hyderabad, was found dead in the back seat of a family-owned vehicle in a campus garage on Saturday.
The police have arrested the assailant, Donald Thurman, 26, from a Chicago metro station. He isn’t a student of the university and on Monday was formally charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault. The medical examiner ruled the woman’s death a ‘homicide by strangulation’.
On Saturday, her family reported to the university that they hadn’t heard from her since Friday evening.
Her phone was traced to the Halsted Street Parking Garage, where she was found unresponsive in the back seat of a vehicle owned by her family.
With assistance from the FBI Evidence Response Team, the police processed the crime scene and completed forensics on the vehicle. They retrieved video footage from existing university cameras of the offender who was seen walking behind the teen on Saturday.
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According to the video footage, Ruth entered the garage on foot at approximately 1:35 am, followed by the offender. The offender is seen again on video footage at 2:10 am walking on Halsted Street.
Police then reviewed video footage from the Chicago Transit Authority, the Chicago POD cameras, and its internal system to determine travel patterns for the offender.
Donald Thurman, who has a criminal history, was arrested on Sunday near the Blue line train station at Halsted and Harrison streets. He was taken into custody and subsequently gave a full confession of the crime.
In a statement, University Chancellor Michael D Amiridis said, “All of us are devastated. She had dreams and aspirations to become a health professional and help others. Our thoughts, our hearts, and our condolences are with her family and friends during this trying period.”