3rd Person Charged In Connection With Romeoville Slaying

ROMEOVILLE, IL — An unincorporated Plainfield man and two women now face charges in connection with the beating death of a Rochelle woman found slain outside a Romeoville warehouse early Monday morning. Jennifer Underhill, 42, was found lying in the grass in the 1800 block of Normantown Road after Romeoville officers responded to a related report of a domestic incident, police said.

On Wednesday, George L. Hooper, 34, of the 21000 block of West Joyce Court, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, being an armed habitual criminal and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

Rose M. Parker, 57, also of the 21000 block of West Joyce Court, is charged with two counts of obstructing justice. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

In a court filing, Parker is accused of driving a weapon to Madison County and lying to police by knowingly giving them the wrong phone number for Hooper. The documents also state Parker's vehicle was present at the murder scene.

On Wednesday afternoon, Romeoville police issued an update in the case, saying a third woman, also of the Joyce Court address in the Lakewood Falls subdivision, is also facing charges. Amanda J. Weck, 33, is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm.

Court documents accuse Weck of discharging a firearm into the air while standing next to Hooper, adding that the gunshot endangered the bodily safety of a 32-year-old man, who also lives at the Joyce Court address.

The Will County Coroner's office said an autopsy was performed Monday, revealing Underhill died of multiple blunt-force traumatic injuries from an assault. There was no indication from authorities that Underhill was shot.

Chuck Pelkie, spokesman for Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, said Hooper is being held on $5 million bail. Parker's bail was set at $250,000. Both were at the Madison County Jail pending transport back to Will County Wednesday, Pelkie said.

Bond for Weck, being held at the Will County jail, was set at $100,000.

Underhill was dating Hooper, police told the Herald-News, and Weck was dating Hooper's brother.

Will County court records indicate Hooper is considered a "disabled adult," and Parker was made his guardian in 2011. Hooper also has two prior domestic battery cases from 2008, both of which ended in charges being dropped. Twice that same year, a local woman was granted emergency orders of protection against him.

Romeoville police said officers responding to a report of a semi-truck with its windows broken at around 1:30 a.m. Monday met with the truck's owner, who said the damage was the result of a domestic dispute. While investigating the damaged semi, officers canvassed the parking lot of a nearby warehouse and found Underhill's body lying in the grass adjacent to the parking lot.

Police said they believed the domestic incident and the murder were related, and that the killing was an isolated incident that did not pose a threat to the community. Romeoville police did not immediately return a message from Patch Wednesday seeking clarification on how the incidents were related.

Anyone with information on Underhill or her death is asked to contact the Romeoville Police Department at 815-886-7219. Citizens may also provide information using the anonymous tip line at 815-328-5205. Police said the incident remains under investigation.

Main photo: George Hooper