Joliet Man Accused of Murdering His 90-Year-Old Grandmother

Darel Agerton said his grandmother was unconscious when he found her, but evidence shows she was strangled and beaten, the Will County Sheriff's Office says.

A Joliet man who police say beat and strangled his 90-year-old grandmother just one day after being released from prison has been charged with first-degree murder. Darel C. Agerton, 38, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon for the Nov. 30 death of Veronica R. Schick, whose unconscious body was found on the floor of her 109 Jessie St. home, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office. Agerton listed Schick's address as his residence. Agerton, who was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on Nov. 29 after serving 15 months for his fourth DUI conviction, told emergency responders that he awoke from a nap to find his grandmother unresponsive and laying on the floor, a sheriff's office release said. When investigators …

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