Ma L. Operio, who was 61 years old at the time, was found to have a zip-tie around her neck, which had the effect of limiting her ability to breathe. Reese Miller, age 24, was pulled over on August 30 for driving a blue Toyota Scion that belongs to Ma L. Operio. Miller was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. The charge might apply to any substance. Operio, however, was unable to recuperate from her injuries and passed away four days after she was harmed.
The police located a knife in the vehicle, as well as a note that was written by Miller apologizing for his actions. In the message, he expressed profound regret for his actions and said that he had never intended to do harm to anybody, but at the time, he believed that it was the only option that was open to him and that he had no other choice. He said that he had just accepted the truth about the circumstances of the scenario.
Miller confessed his role in the event, and as a consequence, he was charged with attempted murder in the first degree as well as aggravated hijacking of a car. These charges were brought about because Miller admitted his participation in the incident.
Operio was found by police officers in the early morning hours outside of her home in Harwood Heights while she was wearing the zip-tie around her neck. The discovery took place in the early hours of the morning. This was the first step in a series of circumstances that ultimately resulted in the incident. They removed it, gave her cardiac resuscitation while they were working on her, transported her to the hospital, and once she was there, they placed her on life support. Operio passed away on September 3 after her family was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to remove her off the mechanical life support system due to unanticipated circumstances.
According to a neighbor, they heard someone say that they observed a man choking what seemed to be Operio as he was on top of her. After he had finished putting the zip-tie around her neck, he got into her car and fled the scene. After some time had passed, the officers in Crete, Illinois, located Miller seated inside the automobile that had been reported stolen. The footage from the doorbell camera was recovered over the course of the investigation, and it showed a man who resembled the suspect dressed in clothing that was similar to what the suspect was wearing when he was brought into custody.
Miller eventually admitted his guilt and acknowledged that he was the individual seen in the video. Additionally, he acknowledged that he was the owner of the knife that was discovered inside the car. He said that he moved Operio’s body away from the car so that it would not be driven over by the vehicle in order to avoid that from happening.
Miller is now being held in the Cook County Jail until the posting of a bail, and his next court appearance is slated to take place on September 22. His public defender claims that a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder has been made about his client.