10-year-old girl playing outside killed by convicted sex offender, Illinois cops say
A convicted sex offender killed a 10-year-old girl who was playing outside with her younger sister, Illinois police say.
Police in Rockford said officers dispatched at about noon on Saturday, July 8, when a 6-year-old girl came home and told her mom that her 10-year-old sister was taken by a man.
A half hour later, a different man found an unresponsive girl outside a house, according to police. The girl was taken to a hospital, where she died, police said in a news release.
She was identified in a GoFundMe as Destiny Renee Huggins.
Police said she was playing outside with her sister when “some conversation ... took place” between the girls and 44-year-old Antonio Monroe. At some point during the encounter, Monroe took the two girls, the police department said
Monroe, a registered sex offender, strangled both girls, Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said during a news briefing. The 6-year-old escaped and was treated and released from a hospital.
Police said Monroe was taken into custody following a brief struggle with officers. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery/strangulation and two counts of kidnapping.
“My stomach has been in a knot,” Redd said. “I met with the mom yesterday. My deepest condolences to that family. No one ever wants to get a knock on the door, hear from the police, that their child has been murdered, especially an innocent child.”
It’s unclear why Monroe was in Rockford, which is about 100 miles northwest of his home in Blue Island, a suburb of Chicago.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara referred to Monroe as a “real life monster.”
“This is truly a real life nightmare and honestly probably worse than any nightmare or situation I can think of on my own,” McNamara said.
Monroe will be taken to the Winnebago County Jail.
Convicted sex offender takes niece on road trip to sexually assault her, feds say
Man convicted of child sex crime went on the run and became teacher in Mexico, feds say
Kidnapping investigation of sex offender leads to rescue of 3 teens, New York cops say
