Man Sentenced to 27 Years for Murder of Nursing Student
A man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for the murder of 20-year-old nursing student Charisma Ehresman. Richard Chavez, 28, of Oak Park, pleaded guilty to the crime three years ago, according to court records.
Ehresman’s body was discovered in the back seat of her car parked in the 5900 block of West Iowa Street on January 28, 2022. The Cook County medical examiner determined that she died from strangulation and smothering in a homicide.
Prosecutors revealed that Ehresman never returned home after visiting Chavez’s residence on the evening of January 23, shortly after meeting him online. Her family reported her missing two days later.
Investigations showed that Ehresman’s last phone call was made to Chavez’s number on January 23, and she sent her final Snapchat message to him around the same time. Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s home captured Chavez meeting her outside around 10:30 p.m. that night. The two entered his home, but Ehresman was never seen leaving, according to prosecutors.
The following morning around 7:30 a.m., surveillance footage allegedly showed Chavez driving Ehresman’s car to his garage. He was then seen exiting the vehicle in the 5900 block of West Iowa Street and wandering the area for about an hour before calling a relative to pick him up.
When police interviewed Chavez at his home after Ehresman’s body was found, they noticed lacerations on his hands. Chavez claimed that he had been with Ehresman on January 23 but stated that he went to bed at 8 p.m. and she was gone when he woke up at 10 a.m.
Chavez was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court for six months on a felony DUI case.
While in custody, authorities intercepted a phone call between Chavez and his parents where he instructed them to prepare his passport. A search of his home uncovered hair clippings in the trash and a partially packed suitcase in his bedroom.
After pleading guilty to murder, Chavez was sentenced to 27 years in prison by Judge Timothy Joyce. The DUI case against him was dropped shortly after.
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