A Texas man who grew up in East Dundee has been convicted of murdering his grandmother in her home.

Rich A. Schmelzer, 44, last address of the 11700 block of Coronado Trail, Frisco, TX, was convicted Dec. 20 by a Kane County jury of first-degree murder in the July 2014 stabbing death of his grandmother, 85-year-old Mildred “Dodie” Darrington of East Dundee.

Kane County prosecutors presented a lengthy trail of evidence during the 11-day trial that Schmelzer became deeply in debt as a result of a lavish lifestyle involving female escorts and other extravagances that were well beyond his means. The lifestyle left him unable to pay his family’s bills, and their home was in foreclosure.

Rich A. Schmelzer (CREDIT: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Facebook Page)

Schmelzer at the time was married with four daughters. He failed to make a mortgage payment for more than four years. Deeply in debt, he had asked family members for loans but was rebuffed. Schmelzer, who was co-executor of Mildred’s estate and a beneficiary of her trust, began to transfer money from her credit cards. Schmelzer, who stood to inherit half of Mildred’s $800,000 estate, plotted in mid-July 2014 to drive from Texas to the Chicago area to murder her.

He had a cousin rent a car in the cousin’s name, he used a prepaid gift card to cover his expenses on the trip, and he purchased a cell phone for use on the trip. Meantime, Schmelzer told his wife that he would be attending a conference in the Dallas area.

He later obtained from a restaurant he frequented near his home a receipt that was marked with a date and time corresponding to his trip to Illinois, although he was not at the restaurant during the noted time and date. He also convinced an acquaintance to send him an email implying they had eaten lunch together at a time when Schmelzer was actually driving back to Texas.

On July 17, 2014, Schmelzer began the 14-hour, 924-mile drive from Frisco to East Dundee. Early the morning of July 18, he arrived at Mildred’s East Dundee home, let himself in, then stabbed Mildred in the neck as she was in her bed, killing her.

Later that day, when Mildred failed to show up for her regular hair appointment, her hairdresser went to her home to check on her and found her unresponsive in her bed. The hairdresser immediately called 911. When East Dundee police arrived at Mildred’s home, they found her dead.

Schmelzer was arrested and charged with first-degree murder a month later.

Associate Judge Linda Abrahamson set Schmelzer’s next court appearance for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 2017, in Courtroom 305 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions and to set a sentencing date. Schmelzer faces between 20 and 60 years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Schmelzer remains in custody at the Kane County jail, where he has been held since September 2014 in lieu of $5 million bail. Bond was revoked upon conviction.

“This is a significant guilty verdict that reflects the hard work of many, many people over the last 21⁄2 years,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “As we gathered the evidence of Mildred’s murder, it became clear how Mr. Schmelzer went to great lengths to attempt to cover up his crime, from having a friend rent a car on his behalf to lying to his family about where he’d be when he actually drove to Illinois to commit murder, and even attempting to fabricate an alibi.

“His deceit is astonishing, and it was done because he was so overcome with greed. Quite frankly, it’s still hard to fathom – this man killed his own grandmother to further a lifestyle of gluttony that he couldn’t otherwise pay for. He had 14 hours and 900 miles to rethink his plan, but he carried it out, anyway, a calculated, cold-blooded murder.

“My thanks to all who had a hand in this prosecution: Assistant State’s Attorneys Bill Engerman, Lori Schmidt and Kelley Flinn, who saw that no stone was left unturned; the East Dundee Police Department, the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force, the Frisco Police Department, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Texas Rangers.”

McMahon also thanked Mildred’s friend, who went to her aid when she sensed that something was wrong.

“The people of East Dundee and all of Kane County should be pleased that so many agencies from outside Illinois worked together to solve this crime and to bring justice to Mildred and her friends and loved ones.”

SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office news release