As soon as the details of Villa Park resident Rebecca 'Becky' Klein's murder rolled in, Center on Halsted Anti-Violence Project Manager Laura Velazquez told Windy City Times that she got a bad feeling about who was suspected of the crime.
'I think that once I heard about [ the case ] on [ March 17 ] , the mention of a roommate raised a red flag,' she said. 'It was one of those things where I had to see how things panned out.'
On March 22, DuPage Associate Judge Mark Dwyer set a $1 million bond for Nicole Abusharif, 26, Klein's partner of five years who is suspected of killing Klein, 32, possibly for financial gain. Abusharif reported Klein missing on March 16 after being contacted by the victim's boss, who wanted to know where she was. Detectives soon appeared at Klein and Abusharif's house—and found the victim's body the next day in the trunk of a Ford Mustang in the couple's garage.
Abusharif has been charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide.
Velazquez said that there are not too many warning signs of domestic abuse. ' [ U ] nless they are conveying themselves to a supportive person, it's [ hard to tell ] ,' she said. 'It's difficult for many to understand that a woman could do this to another woman. We don't want to believe that violence happens within our community.'
She also said that the media should be careful about how it portrays crimes that happen within the LGBT community: 'When we hear about random stabbings on the news and that there could be a serial killer, is that the impression that folks are getting of the community? So when something as tragic as a domestic homicide happens, [ some might think ] 'Oh, well. It's a deviant relationship to begin with.' I had focused on how the local media is covering this, and the interesting factor is that, in one report, the [ suspect ] was referred to as a girlfriend once and then they continued to call her a 'roommate.' The very next day, they corrected that and referred to her as a 'girlfriend'—and that's what we want to see.'
Velazquez added that 83 domestic-violence survivors 'came in through the Anti-Violence Project's doors' last year, and 'we're still very situated and confident that [ the number of cases ] is underreported. Training and outreach are very important [ to get even more people to come forward ] .'
Lastly, she said that people can be abused and not even realize it. 'Ultimately, any type of [ abusive ] relationship has someone holding the power in the relationship, with the other person being victimized,' Velazquez said.
Since initial reports, several other facts have come to light. For example, published reports say that DuPage County authorities cite financial gain as a possible motive for Abusharif's alleged attack. Abusharif allegedly is the beneficiary of a $350,000 life insurance policy in Klein's name.
Laura Velazquez is at Center on Halsted, 2855 N. Lincoln. She can be reached at 773-472-6469, ext. 244, or at lvelazquez@centeronhalsted.org .
Those who wish to send donations in Becky Klein's name can send them to The Becky Klein Adult Care Program Fund, c/o Fifth Third Bank, 1N111 County Farm Road, Winfield, IL 60190.
