Family speaks out after Willowbrook woman's attacker arrested
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - There's relief in the Southwestern suburbs after a man was charged in connection with the Willowbrook home invasion, stabbing and sex assault.
The family of the victim, Melissa Schuster, had smiles on their faces when they met the media in front of the hospital where Melissa is being treated.
Late Tuesday night, three days after the attack, the Schuster family got word of the arrest.
Paul Schuster immediately went to his daughter's hospital room to tell her.
“I stepped in the room and leaned over her bed and whispered in her ear, ‘Honey, they got him, and she said daddy really?’" recounts Schuster.
"I said, ‘Yeah honey, they got him, he will never hurt you again’ and I could feel the tension go out of her body,” he added.
Schuster says his 26-year-old daughter Melissa, who they call Mimi, was overjoyed.
Schuster says when police arrested the suspect, he confessed to the crime.
“When they came in and told that they had this man dead to rights, and that he would never ever get out of jail again, we rejoiced like you can't believe,” he said.
The DuPage County State's Attorney says 31-year-old Londale Madison of South Bend, Indiana, who has a criminal history, matches the police sketch.
Schuster told FOX 32 that it didn't take long for one officer to realize who the offender was.
“When he saw the sketch artist rendering that it was either him, or one of the officers recognized who it was right away,” said Schuster. “It wasn't hard for them after that point to get him.”
Madison now faces 4 charges: attempted first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion and armed robbery.
Melissa’s family says she doesn't remember all the details, perhaps blacking out at some point, but she remembers trying to fight after almost giving up.
“There was one point where she said 'I’m not going to make it,' when she looked down and saw all the blood,” says mom Tonie Schuster.
What she does remember her family says is her escape.
“Melissa heard him go upstairs and at that point she got out of the pool of blood that she was laying in and got out of the house and ran across the street and this guy was still in the house,” says her dad.
The family is also clarifying a few details.
They told FOX 32 that Melissa was stabbed 17 times and that the weapon was a small knife. They don't know if it was from their house or if Madison had it with him.
They also still don't know why she was targeted.
The family says Melissa will in the hospital for a few more days.
She had plastic surgery Tuesday night on her face and the family told FOX 32 she looks beautiful.
MORE ON LONDALE MADISON
Londale Madison is being held on two bonds.
A $5 million dollar bond for the charges in DuPage county and a $10 million dollar bond in St. Joseph county, Indiana.
The 31-year-old has a criminal background.
Since 2002, he's been convicted of burglary, battery resulting in bodily injury, resisting law enforcement, intimidation and drug charges.
Most recently, he was sentenced in 2012 for burglary after breaking into a Boost Mobile phone store in South Bend.
Madison served 2 of his 4 years behind bars and was released on good behavior a year ago.
Then, the St. Joseph County States Attorney's office in Indiana says he violated his probation and they were taking him to court to revoke his probation.
Madison had a court hearing on Tuesday, but he didn't show up.
That's when a warrant was issued for failure to appear and police arrested him. Within hours, Madison was connected to the Willowbrook case.
Madison is being held in the St. Joseph County jail, and will be extradited to DuPage county.
if convicted on all charges, he could face up to 120 years behind bars.