Man Charged With Girlfriend’s Murder On South Side

Sun-Times Media Wire
CBS 2 Chicago
September 6th 2010

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) – A man found kneeling over his girlfriend’s body early Saturday on the South Side has been charged with her murder, police said.

Gerald Rufus, 28, of the 6400 block of South Morgan Street, is charged with one count of first-degree murder, police said.

Police said Theresa Russell, 23, was discovered shot at 2:32 a.m. Saturday inside an apartment in the same block where Rufus was arrested just hours later.

Russell, of the 7600 block of South May Street, was dead on the scene, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. An autopsy Saturday determined she died of a gunshot wound to the arm and her death was ruled a homicide.

Rufus was picked up after he was seen on top of the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound under the left armpit. He initially told police Russell was shot in front of the building at 6435 S. Morgan St. and he had taken the victim upstairs to the kitchen area, a police report said.

The man then changed his story and said the incident occurred on the back porch of the second floor apartment, and that the gunmen shot into the apartment from the back door, the report said.

The man was taken into custody because witnesses gave conflicting statements indicating they heard a single shot fired inside the apartment and there was not evidence that a shooting happened in front of the building.

Police later learned Russell was shot dead after arguing with Rufus.

Rufus was scheduled to appear for a bond hearing on Monday, although court information was not immediately available.

Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.