http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gillsent17.html
Man who slept next to slain wife gets 35 years
August 17, 2005
BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter Advertisement
A Rolling Meadows man who strangled his ex-wife and then slept next to her body for three nights apologized for his alcohol-fueled actions, but said he believes God and his former wife have forgiven him.
"I hurt every day,'' Robert Gill said Tuesday before he was sentenced. "I will always be sorry for what happened.''
Cook County Judge John Scotillo took a harsher view, sentencing Gill, 45, to 35 years in prison for the 2003 slaying, which followed a late-night, drunken argument.
Scotillo added a five-year sentence for concealing a homicide because Gill kept Brenda Heuer's body in their home for three days after her death.
"He committed the ultimate act of domestic violence in killing his wife,'' Scotillo said as he sentenced Gill, who sat calmly in the Rolling Meadows courtroom.
Couple planned to remarry
Gill had faced a 20- to 60-year prison term for the killing. He likely will serve all 35 years of the sentence Scotillo imposed.
He was convicted in June of murdering his 42-year-old former wife during an Oct. 17, 2003, quarrel in their Rolling Meadows home. The couple divorced in 2002, but had reconciled and planned to remarry.
Gill, who has a long history of drug abuse and mental illness, apologized several times Tuesday for his ex-wife's death, repeating as he had during his trial that he loved Heuer and never intended to harm her.
"I believe God has forgiven me, and I believe Brenda has forgiven me, because our love was so strong,'' Gill said. "I know someday we'll be together again.''
'He couldn't let her go'
Several of Heuer's relatives in the courtroom wiped tears away during the hearing, including Heuer's son from a previous marriage. Gill's teenage daughter also wept quietly.
Gill contended during the trial that he shoved his former wife away from him after she abruptly attacked him, jabbing him in the eye during an argument over their finances. Both had been drinking for several hours before the clash, according to trial testimony.
After strangling her, Gill said he slept beside her body for three nights, using cocaine and talking to her corpse because he didn't want to part with her.
His attorneys asked Scotillo for leniency, but said any prison term would be lighter than the emotional burden Gill will carry with him forever.
"Nothing is worse than what he's living,'' defense attorney Ernest Blomquist said. "He loved so much, he couldn't let her go.''
Man who slept next to slain wife gets 35 years
August 17, 2005
BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter Advertisement
A Rolling Meadows man who strangled his ex-wife and then slept next to her body for three nights apologized for his alcohol-fueled actions, but said he believes God and his former wife have forgiven him.
"I hurt every day,'' Robert Gill said Tuesday before he was sentenced. "I will always be sorry for what happened.''
Cook County Judge John Scotillo took a harsher view, sentencing Gill, 45, to 35 years in prison for the 2003 slaying, which followed a late-night, drunken argument.
Scotillo added a five-year sentence for concealing a homicide because Gill kept Brenda Heuer's body in their home for three days after her death.
"He committed the ultimate act of domestic violence in killing his wife,'' Scotillo said as he sentenced Gill, who sat calmly in the Rolling Meadows courtroom.
Couple planned to remarry
Gill had faced a 20- to 60-year prison term for the killing. He likely will serve all 35 years of the sentence Scotillo imposed.
He was convicted in June of murdering his 42-year-old former wife during an Oct. 17, 2003, quarrel in their Rolling Meadows home. The couple divorced in 2002, but had reconciled and planned to remarry.
Gill, who has a long history of drug abuse and mental illness, apologized several times Tuesday for his ex-wife's death, repeating as he had during his trial that he loved Heuer and never intended to harm her.
"I believe God has forgiven me, and I believe Brenda has forgiven me, because our love was so strong,'' Gill said. "I know someday we'll be together again.''
'He couldn't let her go'
Several of Heuer's relatives in the courtroom wiped tears away during the hearing, including Heuer's son from a previous marriage. Gill's teenage daughter also wept quietly.
Gill contended during the trial that he shoved his former wife away from him after she abruptly attacked him, jabbing him in the eye during an argument over their finances. Both had been drinking for several hours before the clash, according to trial testimony.
After strangling her, Gill said he slept beside her body for three nights, using cocaine and talking to her corpse because he didn't want to part with her.
His attorneys asked Scotillo for leniency, but said any prison term would be lighter than the emotional burden Gill will carry with him forever.
"Nothing is worse than what he's living,'' defense attorney Ernest Blomquist said. "He loved so much, he couldn't let her go.''
