Bond Denied For Teen In Murder Of Father
UPDATED 04/18/11 1:26 p.m.
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (CBS) -- Bond was denied Monday for a 19-year-old man charged of robbing and killing his own father in Arlington Heights.
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Bond for Matthew Nellessen was denied by a Rolling Meadows court judge, on charges of armed robbery and first-degree murder in the death of his father, George Nellessen, 55.
Police say Matt Nellessen didn't act alone. Also in custody Monday on charges of armed robbery and first-degree murder are Marlon Green, 20; Armon Braden, 20; and Azari Braden, 19, all of Chicago's South Side.
Bond for Green was set at $3 million, for Armon Braden at $2 million, and for Azari Braden at $1.5 million.
The incident began about 8:45 a.m. Thursday when someone called 911 to report an unresponsive man in a home in the 1000 block of North Wilshire Lane, according to Arlington Heights police.
George Nellessen, a mechanic and widower, was pronounced dead at the scene 20 minutes later, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. He was found in a chair, bound and gagged and with duct tape around his ankles, a source said.
Prosecutors said following a robbery, Matt Nellessen put a rag in his father's mouth, then duct tape around his eyes and nose. He took a baseball bat and swung at his father full force five times. But his father was still alive so Mathew Nellessen got a steak knife and stabbed him in the neck twice, prosecutors said.
Nellessen had already forced his father to sign a $100,000 check to him and stolen $800 from his father's wallet. When his father said he was going to call police, Matthew Nellessen killed him, court records said.
Nellessen, Green and Armon Braden were taken to the house by Azari Braden and went inside, prosecutors said. They had greed to participate in the robbery -- Azari Braden wanted gas money and a pair of diamond earrings, while the others just wanted cash, prosecutors allege.
Armon Braden, Green and Matthew Nellessen waited for George Nellessen to come home from work, and when he arrived, Armon Braden came out of a closet with a pellet gun. He ordered him into a chair and duct taped him as Nellessen made his demands.
Armon Braden called his brother after the murder and told him Nellessen had killed his father. Azari Braden then came back and drove his brother to the city, court records said. Nellessen and Green left the home and drove to the South Side where they got hotel rooms. They withdrew money from the victim's cards and bought marijuana, prosecutors allege.
From the robbery proceeds, evidence showed Nellessen gave Green $1,000 and Green gave a portion of that to Armon Braden.
Nellessen came back to his father's home on the evening of April 13. When George Nellessen's co-workers became suspicious that he hadn't shown up for work in two days, a witness stopped by the home April 14 to check on him. She found Matthew Nellessen but he wouldn't let her in. When she asked why, he said, "You will know right away," court records indicated.
When she did go into the home, she saw George Nellessen dead, bloody and taped to a chair. She ran away but Matthew Nellessen had already grabbed her cell phone. He told her he was going to burn the house down, court records said.
That's when he drove away in his father's car, something a witness had told police on the 911 call. A long chase ended in Mathew Nellessen's arrest after one of the tires blew. Police found a $100,000 check signed by George Nellessen, in the car and other documents related to the crime.
Green and Armon Braden gave a videotaped statement in which they admitted their roles in the crime. They were spotted on Tuesday, meeting up with Nellessen outside the Arlington Heights home.
Prosecutors said George Nellessen had told someone on April 8 that he feared his son was going to kill him.
One neighbor said she was shocked by the murder, and familiar with the son's problems.
"He was in trouble all the time. George did all he could for him. He sent him to boot camp to see if that would help. He'd come home for a while, and then it was the same thing," said neighbor Dolly Seibert.
Matthew Nellessen has a lengthy criminal history, including a 2009 residential burgarly conviction. He was sentenced to 2 years in jail for a November 2009 conviction. He had violated his parole several times, including January of this year, and was sent back to prison until March, 25, when he was released, Simonton said.
He was also kicked out of several high schools, neighbors say.
Nellessen and his co-defendants are set to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 9.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
