Man Kills Wife And 2 Kids In Robbins, Dies Of Unknown Causes
Updated 02/03/14 - 9:20 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police were hailing a 14-year-old boy as a hero, for saving his own life and the life of his 5-year-old nephew, after his stepfather had killed his mother and two siblings.
Robbins Police Chief Mitchell Davis said police responded to a report of shots fired at 13648 S. Pulaski Rd. around 10:40 p.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived, they found a trail of blood at the front door, and four people dead inside.
Three people -- 42-year-old Michelle Ollie, and her children, 17-year-old Steven Roe, and 15-year-old Trisha Worsham -- had been shot. Ollie's husband, 43-year-old Michael Worsham, was dead of unknown causes.
Man Kills Wife And 2 Kids In Robbins, Dies Of Unknown Causes
Davis and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Worsham had not suffered any gunshot wounds, but otherwise it was unclear how he died, but sources said Worsham died of an apparent heart attack.
Police said Worsham's 14-year-old stepson heard popping noises late Sunday night, and when he went downstairs to check, he found Steven lying on the kitchen floor. When he saw his stepfather with a gun, he wrestled with Worsham for the weapon until Worsham said he would let the boy go if he let go of the gun.
The 14-year-old then got his 5-year-old nephew, and ran out of the house. Trisha also was running out of the house behind the two boys, but Worsham shot her in the back, police said. The 14-year-old and his nephew managed to make it to safety at a neighbor's house.
"That 14-year-old's a hero. He saved his life, and he saved the life of his 5-year-old nephew, and we thank God that he was able to do that," Davis said.
Police said there was no record of any domestic incidents at the home, and that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services had no record of contact at the home.
Police said the evidence shows Worsham first shot Steven, his biological son, then dragged Ollie out of bed and shot her, before his 14-year-old stepson confronted him. He also shot Trisha, his biological daughter, in the back as she fled the house with the 14-year-old and the 5-year-old.
The 5-year-old was sleeping in the bed with Ollie, his grandmother, at the time of the shooting. His parents were not at the home.
Witnesses saw the two boys fleeing from the house, and they stopped to try and help. They saw Trisha lying on the front stoop, but didn't realize she had been shot. When they got out of the car to help her, Worsham shot the girl again, fired shots at the witnesses, then dragged her back into the house.
"This is horrific. I guess there's no other word to describe it than horrific. I'm a father. I cannot imagine what could bring someone to such a dark place where they would believe that they need to take the lives of their entire family, let alone children," Davis said. "There's nothing that you can say to describe this. You know, there's nothing you can say to try to console this 14-year-old who saw his family murdered in front of his eyes."
Steven was a junior at Alan Shephard High School in Palos Heights and Trisha was a sophomore.
Those who know them said both students were will liked and cared about others.
"It really sucks because you're never gonna see him again," said Majd Mustafa, a Shephard junior who knew Steven.
Dart and Davis said Worsham's motive was unknown as of Monday morning. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine how he died.
Worsham has two criminal convictions on his record -- a 1988 guilty plea on an unknown charge, for which he served one year of probation; and a 1995 guilty plea to a weapons charge, for which he served 18 months probation. He also was issued 33 traffic tickets from 1990 to 2013.
