A carjacker is accused of k*illing a woman in suburban Chicago by zip-tying her throat, then leaving a whiny note in the stolen car apologizing for the heinous crime and calling the bloodshed his “only choice.”
Reese Miller, 24, was arrested three hours after Ma Operio, 61, was discovered with a “zip tie around her neck impeding her breathing.” According to the Chicago Sun-Times, she died four days later.
According to prosecutors, cops recovered a knife and a twisted apology note.
“I’m deeply sorry for hurting anyone; it seemed like the only option at the time.”
“I didn’t want to harm anyone.” It was never something I imagined possible until the realization of reality dawned on me.”
The Urbana, Illinois, native was charged with attempted first-degree mu*rder and aggravated vehicular hijacking after allegedly confessing to the crime.
According to the Harwood Heights Police Department, officers discovered Operio outside her Harwood Heights home shortly after 6:30 a.m., with a zip tie around her neck. Officers removed it, performed CPR, and transported her to the hospital, where she died four days later on life support.
“They said when she was laying on the pavement, she was already dead,” Operio’s mother, Maria Gimeno, told WGNTV. “They revived her when they took her to the ER, and she was then brain dead.”
Gimeno stated that her daughter was cleaning her car after returning home from a trip to Texas when she was attacked.
“My daughter’s car’s trunk was open. “He went through the back,” she explained to a local news outlet.
According to police, a witness reported hearing “grunts” coming from Operio’s Natchez Avenue property before seeing a man in a black hoodie on top of the woman. Miller is accused of moving Operio’s body after securing the zip tie — and then stealing the car while the trunk was still open.
Police also obtained doorbell camera footage of a man who was identified as Miller. Miller was also wearing the same clothes as the person caught on camera when he was arrested.
Police discovered Miller’s car vin Crete — with Miller behind the wheel — hours after she left Operio for dead. After cops read him his Miranda rights, he allegedly confessed.
Miller was being held in Cook County Jail on bail; his next court date is Sept. 22.
According to People, his public defender stated that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to People, his public defender stated that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to Gimeno, her daughter is a “very happy person” who “quit her job to take care of her grandson.”
