Trial Set for Oak Lawn Grandmother Accused of Slaying Infant Granddaughter

OAK LAWN, IL -- The Oak Lawn grandmother accused of slaying her 6-month-old granddaughter in 2013 is fit to stand trial. Cook County Judge Colleen Hyland set a tentative bench trial date to take place this summer for Alfreda Giedrojc during hearing Wednesday morning in Bridgeview.

Giedrojc, who is now 65, is charged with the first-degree murder of infant granddaughter, Vivian Summers. The Bolingbrook infant was in her grandmother’s care the morning of Oct. 6, 2013, when Giedrojc slit her granddaughter’s throat and then bashed the baby’s head with a sledgehammer, prosecutors said.

The Oak Lawn grandmother has been in the Cook County Sheriff’s custody after she was denied bail. Vivian was in Giedrojc’s daughter’s child. Giedrojc allegedly made admissions to the Oak Lawn Police Department that she hid a knife in her bedroom closet the night before. Her husband had stepped out for only a few minutes and came back home to find the gravely injured infant.

Giedrojc’s sanity in October 2013 has been under debate as the case has wound its way through the criminal court system, so long, that Giedrojc’s original assistant public defender has retired. In the years since, Giedrojc has undergone multiple psychiatric evaluations.

A wan looking Giedrojc appeared in court with her new public defender and a Polish interpreter. Judge Hyland told Giedrojc and her attorney that she was in receipt of a report from Dr. Christopher Cooper, the Chief of Psychology with Forensic Clinical Services for Cook County, indicating that Giedrojc was fit to stand trial.

Giedrojc’s assistant public defender has requested a bench trial. Attorneys for both sides told the judge they expected the trial to last one day. Giedrojc will be in court June 6 where the defense and prosecution will meet with Judge Hyland to discuss more details about the trial. It is not known Giedrojc’s attorney plans to put on an insanity defense.

Judge Hyland set a trial date for July 11.