Father charged in Illinois two girls deaths

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 04:46 PM

Father charged in girls' deaths
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 6:34 PM EDT (2234 GMT)

Jerry Hobbs faces two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter and best friend.

ZION, Illinois (CNN) -- Police have taken Jerry Hobbs into custody and charged him with murdering his 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias.

The two friends are believed to have been stabbed to death Sunday on Mother's Day.

He was reported to have found the girls' bodies early Monday in a park just blocks away from their elementary school, said police in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago.

Hobbs, 34, could face the death penalty. But Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said whether to pursue the death penalty was not a decision he wanted to make "in the heat of the moment."

"The arrest today is the first step in the process of bringing this person to justice," Waller said.

Waller said the girls were not lured to the park, rather they encountered Hobbs there.

Hobbs' bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

He was released from prison in Texas last month after serving nearly two years for violating his probation. He had been serving time after pleading guilty to assault in 2002, said Rick Mahler, an assistant district attorney in Wichita Falls, Texas.

"He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived."

Hobbs was arrested again in 2003 after failing to show up for visits with his probation officer and skipping anger management classes.

School Superintendent Connie Collins said the killings have left the community "in terrible shock." (Full story)

"It's very difficult to begin to understand something like this," Collins said. "It's something that was not expected. In a community like this, we have never had this type of experience, so it's been very difficult for everyone."

05-10-2005, 04:46 PM	Topic Starter
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $1843699	Father charged in Illinois two girls deaths Father charged in girls' deaths Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 6:34 PM EDT (2234 GMT) Jerry Hobbs faces two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter and best friend. ZION, Illinois (CNN) -- Police have taken Jerry Hobbs into custody and charged him with murdering his 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias. The two friends are believed to have been stabbed to death Sunday on Mother's Day. He was reported to have found the girls' bodies early Monday in a park just blocks away from their elementary school, said police in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Hobbs, 34, could face the death penalty. But Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said whether to pursue the death penalty was not a decision he wanted to make "in the heat of the moment." "The arrest today is the first step in the process of bringing this person to justice," Waller said. Waller said the girls were not lured to the park, rather they encountered Hobbs there. Hobbs' bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning. He was released from prison in Texas last month after serving nearly two years for violating his probation. He had been serving time after pleading guilty to assault in 2002, said Rick Mahler, an assistant district attorney in Wichita Falls, Texas. "He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived." Hobbs was arrested again in 2003 after failing to show up for visits with his probation officer and skipping anger management classes. School Superintendent Connie Collins said the killings have left the community "in terrible shock." (Full story) "It's very difficult to begin to understand something like this," Collins said. "It's something that was not expected. In a community like this, we have never had this type of experience, so it's been very difficult for everyone."
Posts: 5,637