Caretaker testifies about finding woman’s remains in McHenry home at murder trial

WOODSTOCK – A woman who found the remains of 49-year-old Jacqueline Schaefer testified Wednesday that she went into William Ross’s abandoned home at least seven times before entering a sealed bedroom on Nov. 6, 2013.

Renee Bitton, a longtime friend of Ross who still takes care of the McHenry property, said on the witness stand that he asked her in June 2012 to watch over his property at 518 Country Club Drive because he was going on a road trip.

While taking care of the property, Bitton testified to entering the home with friends on several occasions between January 2013 and November 2013, once after pipes burst and several instances after to clean the residence.

She said she did this over Ross's objections and his warning to never enter the home.

Bitton, who knew Schaefer lived there with Ross, also asked him where she had gone and he told her she had moved back to Missouri.

It wasn't until Nov. 6, 2013, that she would know otherwise.

Bitton testified Wednesday that she found Schaefer's remains in the home more than a year and a half after Ross left.

That day, she and her then-boyfriend, Jerome Mikos, went to the residence to retrieve a space heater from the sealed bedroom. Bitton testified that she removed the caulking, duct tape, screws and trimming from the door and Mikos used a flat bar to pry open the door.

Bitton said she walked over two black trash bags to retrieve the space heater, but then picked one up and looked inside to see a white rib cage.

She said once she realized what she saw, she ran out of the residence and alerted Mikos and the two called police.

Mikos testified that he also had looked inside the trash bag to confirm Bitton's initial observations.

"I knew there was a lady in there," he said tearfully.

Ross stands trial this week on allegations that he murdered his ex-girlfriend and tenant and then sealed her body in a bedroom inside his residence. Prosecutors have argued that Ross shot Schaefer in the head and back sometime in 2011, sealed the bedroom and then abandoned the residence months later.

Ross, 64, was arrested while living in Las Vegas in 2013 and charged with concealing a homicide. He was charged with her murder in 2014 and remains in custody in lieu of $5 million bond. He has denied all charges.

Forensic pathologist Larry Blum said he found to a "reasonable degree of scientific medical certainty" that Schaefer died from two bullet wounds, one in her skull and another in her spine.

Defense attorney Stephen Richards asked Blum if Schaefer could have died from an alcohol or drug overdose, and if the bullet wounds could have been sustained after she died. Blum said there was no blood to test for the presence of alcohol or drugs, although hair and bones can be tested and that was not done.

Prosecutors have argued that Ross sealed the bedroom with items such as caulk, nails, screws, duct tape and paint – all items that were purchased by Ross in June 2012, according to testimony by a local hardware manager.

Richards asked the woman if Ross had made prior home improvement purchases in the past and she responded he had.

Officers also testified Wednesday to two incidents of domestic battery in 2007 that occurred at Ross's home. Schaefer suffered physical injuries during both incidents, including a bloody lip, broken wrist and swollen foot and ankle. Ross was subsequently arrested after the two incidents and charged with domestic battery.

Ralph Robert Jones Jr., a neighbor who lived across the street from Ross for at least two decades, described his neighbor as a "homeless person" and someone who was unshaven and had unwashed hair. He said he knew Schaefer lived at the residence with Ross and described her as a petite woman with long blonde hair.

He also said he saw Ross carry beer into his home a few times a week, but the two never had a conversation.

"His property was as [unkempt] as he was," Jones said.

Jones said he was unable to pinpoint the last time he saw either Ross or Schaefer.

Prosecutors expect to rest their case Thursday.