UIC student Ruth George ignored cat calls, murdered by Chicago man

Authored by eu.usatoday.com and submitted by thereallauradern

Chicago woman ignored man's catcalls, so he raped and strangled her, prosecutors say

CHICAGO — A man who prosecutors say strangled a 19-year-old college student because she ignored his catcalls was ordered held without bail Tuesday.

Donald Thurman, 26, is charged with the first-degree murder and sexual assault of University of Illinois at Chicago sophomore Ruth George, whose body was found Saturday in the backseat of her family's car at a campus parking garage.

Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said Tuesday that Thurman was "angry" that George was ignoring his catcalls and that he followed her into the garage, where he sexually assaulted and killed her around 2 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the Associated Press.

George’s family reported her missing to campus police Saturday, and her phone was tracked to the parking garage, according to the University. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death to be a homicide by strangulation. Campus police announced charges against Thurman Monday.

Hundreds of students, staff and alumni held a vigil for George at a student center that night. Natalie Bennett, director of the school's Women's Leadership and Resource Center, recited a poem in George's memory. Bennett said that the center had recently held a discussion event on women of color and violence and that, at the vigil, one student revealed that George been part of making that discussion happen.

"All of us are devastated by the loss of Ruth George, a member of our Honors College and a talented kinesiology student with dreams and aspirations to become a health professional and help others. Our thoughts, our hearts and our condolences are with her family and friends during this trying period," UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis said in a statement Sunday.

George's fraternity, Delta Epsilon Mu, a co-ed group for students interested in health professions, posted a message on its Facebook page Sunday about the death of their beloved member, nicknamed "Baby Color."

"That was the perfect name for her because she brought color into the lives of everyone around her," the fraternity said in the post.

To honor George's bright spirit, students tied yellow ribbons around campus Monday.

George graduated from Naperville Central High School, in the western suburb of Chicago, in 2018, where she competed on the gymnastics team.

"Ruth was such a sweet girl and had the biggest and brightest smile," school staff member and gymnastics coach Christina Tardy said in a statement. "We loved having her as a member of the NCHS gymnastics team and she was so fun to watch compete, especially on the floor exercise. She was a great teammate and we are going to miss her dearly."

The school district said in a statement that the thoughts of its staff and administration remain with George's family and friends during this difficult time.

UIC's Office of Public Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MeganSun on November 27th, 2019 at 18:33 UTC »

This incident happened at UIC.. I went to school there and live not too far. For those that don't know, UIC is a HUGE commuter school. These garages and lots are not supervised by any security or guards. They are used by so many students every single day and I hope UIC invests in better security after this. I drove past the candle vigil yesterday and it was such a sad and heartbreaking sight to see. He choked her from behind, threw her face down in her car, raped her and left her there. Her sisters pinged her phone and found her the next day with UIC police... I feel so sad for her, her family and her friends. It's just so awful.

joyyfulsub on November 27th, 2019 at 17:29 UTC »

I've been getting catcalled for as long as I can remember, and it just feels like there's no good answer to it. Smiling and being polite can invite further harassment. Ignoring it can provoke anger and make the comments even nastier. Confrontation is obviously a terrible idea. So I just feel shitty and powerless every time it happens.

iamafish on November 27th, 2019 at 17:18 UTC »

Poor girl was only 19, and her body was left in the family car. On top of it, she wanted to go into healthcare to help people :’(