THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008
Dad Charged In Daughter's Murder Picked Up Here
By TODD WESSELL
Journal & Topics Editor
Less than a year after a five year old girl was horribly mur dered-allegedly by her mother-in unincorporated Maine Township-another child has met the same fate. This time, police believe the girl's father, upset that his daughter had messed up her toys, committed the homicide.
Elmyr Lawson, 37, of 9205 Potter Rd., is charged with two counts of first degree murder af ter allegedly suffocating his five year old daughter, Kae Cassandra, nicknamed K.C., last Thursday evening. Lawson al legedly became upset that K.C. had messed up her toys in the family condominium while he was baby-sitting. K.C.'s mother was working at the time. She found her daughter's lifeless body when she returned home. Neighbors said that the mother screamed for help and ran down the hall of the condo building after discovering her daughter.
Lawson was being held in Cook County Jail this week without bond. He appeared in Skokie court last Saturday and yesterday (Tuesday). His next court date is Apr. 30, according to his attorney Richard Kling.
The death of K.C. comes al most a year to the day of the al leged murder of five year old Melanie Beltran at her home at 8992 Kennedy Dr. in unincorpo rated Maine Township not far from the Lawson home. Melanie's mother, Mila Petrov, 29, was charged with first degree murder on Mar. 17, 2007 in the death of her daughter. Less than a month later, Carlos Beltran, 31, Melanie's father, was also charged in the murder. On the same day that Petrov gave birth to a baby at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Melanie died. Police believe Melanie's mother slammed her head into a wall at the family's apartment as well as committed numerous acts of abuse. Melanie was one of seven children who lived in the apartment.
A check with the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows that both Petrov and Beltran re main behind bars at Cook County Jail without bond. Their next court dates are scheduled for Apr. 23.
Reports indicate that K.C. celebrated her birthday about a month ago and that her parents recently observed their seventh wedding anniversary.
Mr. Lawson was a state at home dad," said Kling, adding that evidence exists that his client has a psychiatrict hirtory going back 18 to 20 years. His wife, Geraldine, was working two jobs to support the family. Lawson, it's believed has no criminal record.
After the discovery of K.C's. body, police launched a man hunt for her father. At about midnight on Thursday, he was discovered by police sitting in a car in an Elk Grove Village parking lot. He allegedly told police that he killed his daughter by putting a towel over her face and held it there for 10 minutes leaning on the child.