Man Charged In Hinsdale-Area Woman's Death

HINSDALE, IL – A Glen Ellyn man has been charged with the drug-induced homicide of a Hinsdale-area woman, authorities said Friday.

Sergius Harty, 29, was arrested in the death of his 28-year-old girlfriend, Margaret McCabe, police said. Authorities listed her as living in unincorporated Clarendon Hills, but her obituary said her residence was in Hinsdale.

On Nov. 5, DuPage County sheriff's deputies responded to a call of an unresponsive woman, later identified as McCabe, in unincorporated Clarendon Hills, according to a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An investigation into McCabe's death found she died of fentanyl intoxication, prosecutors said.

Earlier on Nov. 5, McCabe traveled with Harty to Chicago to buy narcotics. Harty bought several bags of narcotics and gave one bag of fentanyl to McCabe, the release said. When she returned home, McCabe ingested the fentanyl given to her by Harty, police said.

Harty is being held on a $500,000 bond. He is charged with a Class X felony.

"This senseless loss of life must stop and one way to stop it is to hold those who supply fatal doses of narcotics responsible," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. "A dealer, a friend or even a family member may think twice about supplying this poison knowing that they will be looking at a significant amount of time behind bars if they are the proven source of a fatal overdose."

McCabe's obituary in the Hinsdalean described her as "small in stature but large in heart."

"She lived her life seeking friendships and trying to be accepted in a sometimes difficult world," the obituary said. "What she lacked in confidence in herself, she gained in empathy for others, often going above and beyond for those who were vulnerable or in need. If you had an ailment, Maggie knew at least one remedy that might help you. If you were in a rough patch, Maggie would stay up nights with you. If you were achy, her true gift was massage. Her hands rivaled those of the best massage therapists on this planet."