By Josh Stockinger
A Carol Stream man accused of repeatedly stabbing his wife after he came home to find her packing up his belongings was indicted Tuesday on murder charges following the woman's death Monday, prosecutors said.
Clifford Bolden, 35, was charged with the first-degree murder of 42-year-old Hope Taylor, who had been hospitalized since the attack last month.
Police said the couple began arguing in their apartment on the 600 block of East Gundersen Drive early Oct. 19. Bolden left at some point, but returned a short time later to find Taylor stuffing his belongings into bags, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Bolden stabbed Taylor at least twice in the chest and head with what they believe was a kitchen knife.
Two of Taylor's teenage sons told police they saw Bolden run off with a knife after the attack. Carol Stream Police Cmdr. Ken George said Bolden went to a strip mall at Schmale and St. Charles roads and called 911 from an undisclosed business at roughly 6:45 a.m.
“Basically, he said he was stabbed,” George said. “Self-defense was what he was claiming.”
Investigators continue to search for the murder weapon. Earlier this month, police drained a retention pond near Schmale and St. Charles roads, and scoured areas between the couple's apartment and the strip mall where Bolden called 911. Both searches came up empty.
No further searches are immediately planned, George said, but police remain hopeful they can recover the knife.
“We believe it came from inside the house,” he said. “We just haven't been able to find it yet.”
Taylor underwent surgery and had been receiving treatment at Central DuPage Hospital for a collapsed lung and cut to her face, according to police.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said her death Monday was “disheartening.”
“According to the FBI, 1,400 women lose their lives to domestic violence each year,” Berlin said. “Sadly, Hope Taylor never recovered from the injuries she sustained ... and joined these 1,400 victims of domestic violence.”
Bolden's prior criminal record includes vehicular hijacking, prosecutors have said. He is also a registered sexual predator, convicted of sexually abusing a minor between the ages of 13 and 16 in Cook County when he was 22, state records show. Prosecutors said Bolden is scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday. In addition to first-degree murder, he faces charges of aggravated domestic abuse and armed violence.
Bolden remained jailed Tuesday on $750,000 bail.
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