Jul 7, 2008 5:48 am US/Central
Warrant Issued For Husband Of Murder Victim
Woman Stabbed To Death Near Lincolnshire Resort
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (Lake County News-Sun) ―
An apparently volatile relationship that attracted the attention of Waukegan police several times in the recent past appears to have come to a violent end Saturday. Authorities were seeking the estranged husband of Adelina Weber following her stabbing death outside a Milwaukee Avenue hotel.
Lincolnshire police announced Sunday evening that they have issued an arrest warrant for first-degree murder for 58-year-old Clarence John Weber Jr., who authorities are considering armed and dangerous.
Adelina Weber, 31. was pronounced dead at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville at 3 p.m. Saturday, about an hour after she staggered into Springhill Suites Marriott hotel off Milwaukee and Marriott Drive, just south of Half Day Road.
Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said she died of a single stab wound to the upper chest. In the hours after her death, police announced that Clarence Weber was being sought as a "person of interest" in the case. It was not the first time he had come to the attention of Lake County law enforcement.
Waukegan Police Chief William Biang said his officers had been called to Adelina and Clarence Weber's home in the 3400 block of North Lewis Avenue on disturbances "three or four times in about the last year, (but) it was never anything physical."
Then, on May 7, Waukegan firefighters responded to an overnight fire at the home that caused $250,000 damage and left Clarence Weber with severe burns to his head and hands, requiring him to be airlifted to the Loyola Medical Center burn unit in Maywood. Adelina Weber reportedly was not home in that fire.
According to Waukegan Fire Marshal Steven Lenzi, investigators ruled out normal causes in the blaze, and determined that the story given to them about the incident did not match with any evidence. He added that the case was turned over to Waukegan police as a possible criminal act.
Biang said the fire was being investigated as an act of arson, though there has not been an official ruling. He added his detectives determined that Clarence Weber was behind in payments on the house and wanted to question him about the matter, but he proved hard to track down.
"He spent several weeks in the hospital. He went from Waukegan to Froedtert (medical center in Milwaukee) to Loyola and then to relatives in Chicago," Biang said. "We've had trouble getting him to come in and talk to us."
On Saturday, Adelina Weber had just finished waiting tables at the Walker Bros. pancake house in Lincolnshire when she was attacked.
"We believe she drove the vehicle to (the hotel)," said Detective Domenic Cappelluti of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, which assisted Lincolnshire police in the investigation. "We believe the incident occurred at this location."
She made it into the lobby of the hotel, where she collapsed. Hotel workers called 9-1-1 and provided first aid, said hotel general manager Mike Croke.
Adelina Weber was not a guest at the hotel, he said.
Biang said Waukegan police were involved in the hunt for Clarence Weber, described as 6 feet tall and 190 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Police said he may have a rental car, possibly a red Chevrolet Equinox.
"At this point, we are actively looking for him," Biang said. "Our officers are keeping an eye on a couple of locations in Waukegan where he might show up."
Anyone who sees Weber is advised to call 9-1-1, and anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call Lincolnshire police at (847) 883-9900.
(CBS 2 and the Lake County News-Sun are news partners covering stories in the north suburbs. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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