Suspect in Edgewater slaying back in Chicago

July 11, 2006

BY ANNIE SWEENEY AND STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporters





















They lived in the same Edgewater apartment building, but didn't know each other.

He shared a unit with friends and worked in a factory. She was an Evanston native who stayed in a studio, hostessed at two restaurants and was considering a return to school to study fashion design.

Their lives converged horribly on Jan. 24, 2005, when Roberto Ramirez got into Melissa Dorner's apartment and raped, beat and strangled her, police said.

Ramirez then returned to his apartment covered in blood, told his roommates he'd done something "really bad'' and fled to Mexico, police said.

He was caught there a year later, but wasn't returned to Chicago until this past weekend -- only after authorities, with the Dorner family's consent, agreed not to pursue the death penalty against him.

"It's very frustrating . . . when you know that you have the evidence, you know who the individual is but it's a long, involved process to bring them to justice,'' Chicago Police Deputy Supt. Hiram Grau said Monday during a news conference on the case. "You wish you could reach out and grab them. But it doesn't work that way."

Dorner was the victim of another violent crime before her murder: Another man tried to rape her in 2003 when she was living in Lincoln Park, sources said. The alleged attacker in that case has been arrested and charged.

Authorities won't say why Ramirez allegedly targeted Dorner, who was 21 at the time. They believe he forced his way into her apartment, possibly as she was entering it.

Ramirez, 26, faces charges of first-degree murder, residential burglary, home invasion and multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault. On Monday, Judge Laura Sullivan allowed the no-bail hold to stand.

Man found through TV show



Grau said Ramirez was found in Mexico in January after the Mexican version of "America's Most Wanted" aired a story about him.

Since that time, U.S. law enforcement has been negotiating with Mexican authorities for his return, which was contingent on a guarantee that he would not face the death penalty.

Cook County First Assistant State's Attorney Robert Milan said his office consulted with the family before agreeing.

"If you don't [agree], you're not going to get them back,'' Milan said. "Do you leave them in Mexico for the rest of their lives? In the end, as distasteful as it is, it's the right thing to do.''

Dorner's mother, Mary Pat, echoed that, adding: "I honestly thought this day would never come."

Ramirez gave Chicago Police a videotaped statement after arriving back in town. Bloody boots and clothing were collected from his apartment after the attack, and he has submitted DNA for further comparison with evidence recovered at the scene, police said.

Jennifer Cafferata, a close friend of Dorner's, was in court Monday with members of the Dorner family. She and the family found out on July 6 -- Dorner's birthday -- that Ramirez would be returned. "That is the best present Melissa could have given herself,'' Cafferata said. "She did nothing but bring good."

Cafferata wore a bracelet with the words "Remember4ever" on one side and "Melissa" on the other.

asweeney@suntimes.com

sesposito@suntimes.com