A 67-year-old woman who appeared to be living with a Galesburg man was beaten to death with a hammer inside the man’s residence, Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby told the court Wednesday, building on details first presented the previous day.
The victim, Georgette Evan Rodrigues, was found dead outside the 30 N. Soangetaha home Sunday afternoon. The suspect, David L. Nicholson Klingerman Jr., 29, faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a person over 60, concealing a homicidal death and filing a false report. He was ordered held without bond after a detention hearing Wednesday.
Worby said officers responded Sunday afternoon for a well-being check on Klingerman and discovered evidence of attempts to conceal the body outside. After a search warrant was obtained and executed, law enforcement confirmed Rodrigues was deceased on the premises.
An autopsy conducted Monday in Peoria by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office, as confirmed by Knox County Coroner Jacque Dare, revealed significant trauma primarily to the head, along with defensive wounds. A hammer located inside the house matched injuries consistent with both the head and claw ends.
According the Worby, a family member told investigators Klingerman made statements in the early morning hours of Sunday about needing help and hitting someone in the head with a hammer several times, then said “he was just kidding.”
Officers returned Monday and found a previously locked door now unlocked without signs of forced entry. Klingerman was discovered hiding on the upper shelf of a closet and taken into custody. He participated in a voluntary interview, making several incriminating statements but denying responsibility, Worby said.
According to Worby, the relationship between Rodrigues and Klingerman remains unknown.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 10.
Read the initial report: Victim identified in fatal Soangetaha Road assault; Suspect faces additional charges
