Crime & Safety

Joliet Man Accused of Murdering His 90-Year-Old Grandmother

Darel Agerton said his grandmother was unconscious when he found her, but evidence shows she was strangled and beaten, the Will County Sheriff's Office says.

A Joliet man who police say beat and strangled his 90-year-old grandmother just one day after being released from prison has been charged with first-degree murder.

Darel C. Agerton, 38, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon for the Nov. 30 death of Veronica R. Schick, whose unconscious body was found on the floor of her 109 Jessie St. home, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office. Agerton listed Schick's address as his residence.

Agerton, who was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on Nov. 29 after serving 15 months for his fourth DUI conviction, told emergency responders that he awoke from a nap to find his grandmother unresponsive and laying on the floor, a sheriff's office release said.

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When investigators called him in for questioning, however, Agerton apparently made statements that were inconsistent with his original story, the release said. Undisclosed physical evidence was also found at the scene.

No information on a possible motive was released.

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Agerton was taken into custody Wednesday after the Will County State's Attorney's Office charged him with six counts of first-degree murder. His bail was set at $5 million; his first court appearance will be Thursday afternoon.

According to jail and prison records, Agerton has been arrested and charged four times for driving under the influence of alcohol and at least twice for driving on a revoked/suspended license.

In the last case, he was sentenced to three years in prison in 2011, but released early.

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