Arlington Heights resident Cristian Loga-Negru, 38, was presumed arrested without incident at a Super 8 Motel Wednesday night and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mayhem and kidnapping.
Police have not confirmed the identity of the man arrested at the Super 8, but the Racine County Jail records show that Loga-Negru was in custody in the jail charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mayhem and kidnapping.
Arlington Heights Man Charged w/Killing Estranged Wife in Mt Pleasant, WI http://t.co/Fy8fbWTwbJ pic.twitter.com/vOgzguWZxl
— Cardinal News (@EarlyReport) November 21, 2014
A suspect arrested at the Super 8 Motel, 1150 Oakes Road is facing charges that he murdered his estranged wife with a hatchet Wednesday after she had fled her Arlington Heights, Illinois home to hide from him, according to police.
The 36-year-old woman and the murder suspect were both at the scene where she was found mortally wounded from a hatchet-like tool Wednesday night.
Mount Pleasant police initially were called at 8:23 p.m. Wednesday to a residence on a report of a domestic-related assault where a witness reported hearing someone screaming and saw a body being dragged across the front lawn to a vehicle. The offender fled with the victim before police arrived.
Police investigated the scene, interviewed the witness, and immediately began searching for the suspect’s vehicle. About four minutes after the initial call, the Racine County 9-1-1 Communications Center received a call from a person at the Super 8 Motel reporting that a woman was bleeding from the face and head. Patrol officers and the South Shore Fire Department responded, finding both members of the couple there, according to police.
Police learned that the woman had been struck with a hatchet-type weapon after pulling into the driveway of the home, where the victim was seeking refuge at a friend’s home in order to hide from her husband.
South Shore Fire Department reported the female victim was transported to Regional Medical Center and Level I Trauma Center Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa with life-threatening injuries via Flight For Life.
The medical transport helicopter landed in the Case High School parking lot at about 9 p.m.
The victim was later pronounced dead at Froedtert Hospital at about 10:00 p.m.
The case is being investigated by the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Racine County medical examiner’s office. The Wisconsin State Patrol also assisted at the crime scene.
Identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the victim’s family. Arlington Heights did confirm that the victim lived in the village limits of Arlington Heights, confirmed that there had been previous police contact with the victim, and confirmed that Arlington Heights police had helped initiate the process of a restraining order. The victim’s husband Loga-Negru was served with a temporary order of protection, but it is not known if the order was served by Arlington Heights police or Cook County Sheriff’s deputies. A date for a hearing for a permanent restraining order was scheduled for Monday November 24, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. at Rolling Meadows Cook County Circuit Court. The duration of the temporary order of protection is 21 days.
Cristian Loga-Negru’s next court date is Friday in Racine County, Wisconsin. He is held on $1 million bail.
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