A former Chicago police officer accused of killing his wife appeared frail and somewhat disoriented in court Tuesday, as a longtime friend of the couple said he "couldn’t believe it" when he learned of the allegations.
Authorities said Elizabeth Volberding, also a former officer with the Chicago Police Department, was found shot to death on Friday, her 68th birthday, in the kitchen of her home in Spring Grove, not far from the Wisconsin state line.
Her husband, Lorin Volberding, 71, was lying on the floor nearby when police arrived, they said, and is being held in McHenry County Jail on a murder charge with a $1 million bond.
At his court hearing Tuesday, Volberding appeared disheveled and shaky and needed assistance to stand before Judge Sharon Prather. She appointed a public defender for Volberding and ordered him to undergo physical and mental evaluations.
Prosecutors requested a higher bond for Volberding, which could be decided later this week.
A man who identified himself as another former Chicago officer and a longtime friend of the couple, Ed Kelly, said he attended the hearing as a show of support.
Kelly said he’s known the defendant for more than 30 years and that the Volberdings would often host summer parties at their large, "beautiful" home, which has a swimming pool.
"They had a nice life," he said, adding he never saw any tension between them, including when he last saw them about six months ago. He said the couple recently finished off their basement and were fixing up the home with plans to put it on the market.
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"It’s amazing what life can do," Kelly said. "I couldn’t believe it. … They (acted) like childhood sweethearts."
Kelly said Lorin Volberding was "a good policeman" and called him "just a nice guy … (who) always had fun."
Authorities said Volberding’s Firearm Owner’s Identification card revoked in 2015 after, according to Spring Grove police, he barricaded himself and his wife in his house and threatened to kill her. Police said Elizabeth Volberding told them at the time that her husband had been diagnosed with dementia; he was not charged in that incident, authorities said.
Family members said the Volberdings met on a blind date in 1993 and had been married two different times, most recently in 2000.
Elizabeth Volberding, who went by Betty and whose maiden name was Oetjens, worked for the telephone company before becoming a Chicago police officer in the 1970s, her family said.
Ex-cop charged with killing wife, also a former Chicago police officer Tony Briscoe and Robert McCoppin
A former Chicago police officer has been charged with murder after his wife, also a retired CPD officer, was discovered fatally shot Friday — her birthday — in their Spring Grove home, authorities said.
Spring Grove police were dispatched to the home of Elizabeth and Lorin Volberding around 1:30…
A former Chicago police officer has been charged with murder after his wife, also a retired CPD officer, was discovered fatally shot Friday — her birthday — in their Spring Grove home, authorities said.
Spring Grove police were dispatched to the home of Elizabeth and Lorin Volberding around 1:30…
(Tony Briscoe and Robert McCoppin)
Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter. Tribune reporter Tony Briscoe contributed.
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