Joe Yates
An Illinois man has been accused of murdering his son's wife after hearing of her plans to divorce him while at a family wedding.
Cops on the outskirts of Chicago have cuffed and charged 76-year-old Roland Schmidt with the first-degree murder of 45-year-old Christine Moyer, whose body was found at the front entrance of a hotel in Schaumburg - a suburb in the northwest of the city, on Friday (July 25).
Schaumburg Police Department were called to the scene at 10.15pm following reports of a shooting outside the Marriott Hotel, on N. Martingale Road, and arrived to dicsover Moyer with a gunshot wound to her head.
She tragically passed away in hospital a short while later.
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The heinous father-in-law appeared appeared in court on Monday, where the state described the killing of the Ohio-born woman as an 'execution'.
Before ordering the Stillman Valley individual to remain in custody without bail.
The pair had been attending a family wedding when Moyer exited the venue, closely followed by Schmidt who is alleged to have shot at her, while prosecutors claim he then had planned to turn the gun on himself when a member of the public grappled with him and pinned him down until the cops arrived.
It is understood that Moyer had filed for divorce against Schmidt's son on July 8, while the accused is also alleged to have planned the cold-blooded killing for at least a week prior to it happening.
During the investigation, detectives determined both the victim and offender were attending a wedding at the hotel.
Schaumburg Police Department issued the following statement, which read in part: "The victim, Moyer, and offender Schmidt are related. Moyer is the daughter-in-law of Schmidt.
"The shooting occurred when Moyer was leaving the event and Schmidt followed her outside. Schmidt approached Moyer and shot her in the head. Through the investigation, it was discovered, Schmidt was upset with Moyer over divorce paperwork which was filed against his son.
"Detectives conducted a thorough investigation of the case. After reviewing all the facts of the investigation, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved a felony charge against Roland Schmidt."
Before adding: "He was charged and will appear at a detention hearing at the Circuit Court of Cook County Third Municipal District, Rolling Meadows Court House, on July 28, 2025."
He is expected back in court on August 22.