Friday, December 23, 2011

Aurora, IL: Aurora murder suspect identified

The 31-year-old live-in boyfriend of Rennee Ann Perry, who was found strangled and stabbed to death in her apartment Wednesday, has been charged in her murder, police announced Thursday evening.

Police apprehended Delbert K. Cooper about 7 p.m. Wednesday at an Aurora hospital where he was being treated for a cut to his finger, according to police.

Police said Cooper called 9-1-1 from a neighboring unit at the Maple Terrace Apartments and told a dispatcher he tried to commit suicide by cutting off one of his fingers, according to police. An ambulance transported Cooper about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to police.

Cooper told officers he was homeless and gave a fictitious name, police said. After receiving treatment for his finger, he was arrested at a second facility where he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, according to police.

Perry, 21, was found dead in her near east-side apartment about nine hours before the arrest was made.

The apartment's property manager let police into the unit Wednesday morning after Perry's family requested a well-being check. The family had not heard from her since Monday. Responding officers found the 21-year-old mother of two unconscious, not breathing and suffering from apparent stab wounds.

An autopsy performed Thursday morning revealed the cause of death to be strangulation.

Cooper, who has had a history of domestic violence with Perry, has been charged with first-degree murder and concealment of homicidal death, according to authorities.

Police said Cooper was established as a suspect early on in the investigation after they reviewed video from the apartment complex's security system and conducted numerous witness interviews. Investigators originally thought Cooper fled to Chicago, where he has relatives, but a check of his phone records between Monday and the time Perry's body was found revealed that he had been taken to the hospital, police said.

Officers met Perry outside the apartment complex early Tuesday morning when he called 9-1-1 and ran the fictitious name through their records system, which did not show any results, according to police.

Officers recovered a knife that may have been used in the attack from the apartment, police said.

Cooper was also charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle in an unrelated matter, police said.

He is expected to appear in bond court Friday.

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