A 57-year-old Harwood Heights man was sentenced to life in prison today for bludgeoning his estranged wife to death after stalking her on a commuter train as she made her way home from work.
Earlier this month, James Pender pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges, admitting he knocked Therese Pender to the ground, striking her head repeatedly with a hammer in the March 16, 2005 attack in west suburban River Forest, Cook County prosecutors said.
Therese Pender, 41, had filed for divorce and filed an order of protection against her husband months before she was killed. She also told River Forest police she needed extra protection when she was alerted by Metra employees that she was being followed by James Pender in January of 2005.
The legal secretary expressed fear for her life when she filed for the order of protection because she said her husband threatened to kill her if she ever took such action against him, according to court documents.
The jobless man spent most of his days playing online card games and often told Therese Pender she gave him “bad mojo,” court documents indicate. When she got a book on spousal abuse, James Pender allegedly said, “Abuse? I’ll show you abuse,” and punched her in the mouth. He also forbade her to take the medication prescribed to her by a psychiatrist, court records said.
James Pender was convicted of domestic battery against his former wife, Marion, in 1996, according to court records. Marion Pender also filed a criminal order of protection against him that same year.
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