Man charged with trying to murder estranged wife in Westmont

An Aurora man has been accused of trying to murder his estranged wife in an attack early Sunday morning in Westmont.

Marco M. Renegado-Evidente, 35, of the 800 block of Terrace Lake Drive, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery in a public place, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of domestic battery, violation of an order of protection and endangering the life or health of three children, according to DuPage County court records.

The charges allege he choked and punched the victim while having an edged weapon and zip ties at 4:56 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot in the 300 block of West Naperville Road.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Grace Barsanti filed a petition seeking to detain Renegado-Evidente pretrial, according to court records.

According to the petition, the victim was leaving to go to work when she was attacked in the parking lot of her apartment building. She said someone jumped on her, shoved a chemical-containing towel in her mouth, pounded her head against the ground and placed a knife to her throat. She began to lose consciousness but fought the person off. She suffered a puncture wound to her neck, facial bruises, bruised and swollen eyes and an ear injury.

According to the petition, Renegado-Evidente told police he attacked the woman because “he has no other choice” due to a custody dispute and because he is being prosecuted for allegedly sexually assaulting her.

Police found a note in the defendant’s backpack, which he told them was directions to a place he was moving to, according to the petition.

But the directions were to a bridge over the Cal-Sag Channel in Blue Island, according to the petition. They also found a 20-pound weight in the backpack, three black garbage bags, a set of zip ties daisy-chained together and another set of zip ties formed into an oval. They also found a red cup smelling of an unidentified chemical. The defendant’s jacket and gloves smelled of the same chemical, according to the petition.

The endangerment charges allege Renegado-Evidente left the couple’s three children, ages 2, 7 and 10, alone in his Aurora apartment.

In January, Renegado-Evidente was charged with criminal sexual assault – unable to give consent and unauthorized video recording/transmission-no consent. That case alleges that in 2019 he sexually assaulted the victim twice and video recorded the attacks when she was asleep or unconscious.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20231120/man-charged-with-trying-to-murder-estranged-wife-in-westmont