
Richard Chavez, 24, of Oak Park, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Charisma Ehresman of Forest View. (Booking photo)
Oak Park man charged in Forest View woman’s murder
A 24-year-old Oak Park man has been arrested and charged in the strangulation death last month of 20-year-old Charisma Ehresman, of Forest View.
Richard Chavez, of the 600 block of South Maple Street in Oak Park, was arrested on February 18 at Cook County Jail where he was already in custody for a DUI charge from North Riverside. He had been arrested on January 25, the same day Charisma’s family reported her missing.
He was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder. He was ordered held without bond.
Prosecutors said Chavez and Charisma met on social media and she agreed to visit his home on January 23. A private surveillance camera showed the two of them going into his home about 10:40 p.m. January 23. She was never seen leaving the home.
Prosecutors said the next day Chavez drove Charisma’s car to the 5900 block of West Iowa Street and was alone when he got out. A computer log indicated he moved the car into his garage before driving to Iowa Street. He allegedly walked around the area for about an hour before calling for his brother to come pick him up.
Charisma’s body was discovered in the back seat of her car three days later. A jacket was covering her face when she was found.
Prosecutors said cell phone records indicated her last call was to a number registered to Chavez and her phone’s location records showed it “pinged” at his address on Jan. 23.
Chavez told detectives the two “hooked up” Sunday night and when he woke up the next morning, Charisma was already gone, prosecutors said.
While in police custody, Chavez made a phone to his parents that was recorded in which he asked them to get his passport ready, prosecutors said.
Investigators searched Chavez’s house on Jan. 31 and found a suitcase that was partially packed in his bedroom and a mask he was seen wearing in surveillance footage after abandoning Charisma’s car, prosecutors said.
He allegedly had lacerations on his hands when arrested.
The victim’s family and friends were devastated by her death.
Charisma’s grandmother, Kathy Ehresman, made a statement on behalf of her family:
“To Richard Chavez: If you only knew what a loving soul Charisma Ehresman is! She had dreams of being a nurse to care for others. She hugged everyone she met, and said I love you! She helped others in so many ways. Her wake was the most supportive loving group of souls that knew her. She doesn’t get to finish, or yet start her dream path. You took that away from her! She can’t have her children she one day would have. Her 4-year-old niece that called her Titi, still asks for her. My house has been a cry of whaling sounds of grief, pain, and loss! You took the most precious, loving soul you could have even known! I leave this in our Lord Jesus’ hands. Who are you to take another one’s life in your hands and murder them? What man takes a beautiful young woman’s life? We can’t have Charisma back in our lives.”
The Ehresman family wanted to thank everyone for their support throughout this tragedy.
A gofundme for the family has raised more than $23,000 of a $25,000 goal.

A memorial for Charisma at Forest View Park on 46th Street. (Photo by Carol McGowan)
Local News

College Notebook | Marist grad Alex Knight slaying buckets for Lake Forest
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Lake Forest College’s Alex Knight has been named to the All-Midwest Conference First Team in men’s basketball for the 2022-23 season. Knight, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who prepped at Marist, was the league’s leading scorer this season, averaging 18.1 points per conference game. He finished third in the MWC…

Pro Sports Report | SeatGeek to host Major League Rugby championship; Hounds sniff out first win
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer SeatGeek Stadium, host of the expansion Chicago Hounds, will host this season’s Major League Rugby championship game. The game is scheduled to be played July 8 in Bridgeview. It will air nationally on FOX. “Moving the championship match to a predetermined venue has long been a goal of…

Area Sports Roundup | Nazareth grads Martinucci, Evans have unfinished business at NJCAA National Tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Martinucci family carries a lot of weight in the Berwyn-Cicero area. Tony Martinucci has coached boys basketball at Morton High School for 24 years, racking up five regional titles and a trio of conference crowns during his tenure. His daughter, Jovanna, is hoping to do something even…

‘He’s our brother’
Spread the love. Clearing, Garfield Ridge mourn Officer Vásquez Lasso By Tim Hadac Chicago Police Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso didn’t live in Clearing or Garfield Ridge—he lived east of the airport, in West Lawn—but he and his family were essentially adopted by as many as 700 men, women and children here earlier this month.…

$15 million expansion for Stagg approved
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is…

Lake Katherine goes green again for St. Patrick’s Day
Spread the love By Kelly White One of Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens’ most popular features is its large waterfall, which tumbles over four separate falls, travels a distance of over 300 feet and descends approximately 30 feet before joining the lake itself on the east side. With Irish festivities in full swing…

Orland Township offers scholarships to high school seniors
Spread the loveLocal students graduating high school in 2023 and heading to college are encouraged to apply for an Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award. This program, launched in 1998, has since awarded over 340 scholarships to township students totaling more than $280,000. The Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award scholarships based on a combination of the…

Shepard breaks record for Special Olympics fund raising
Spread the loveMostly through the traditional Polar Plunge, this year Shepard High School broke its record for fund raising for Special Olympics. More students and staff — including nearly all administrators, band director Chris Pitlik, and choir director Roland Hatcher — participated than ever. This year also featured a new fundraising vehicle: A pie-in-the-face contest. …

He died protecting others
Spread the love. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] Like most in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, I was stunned and saddened by news of the death of Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso. Perhaps it’s because I have relatives who are CPD. Perhaps it’s because as a wife,…

Hale students fight hunger with food drive
Spread the loveBy Dermot Connolly Students at Hale Elementary School in Clearing collected thousands of items in a food drive that became a community event when the United Business Association of Midway coordinated the delivery of the goods to local food pantries. Seventh and eighth graders in the student leadership team organized the food drive…
Neighbors

College Notebook | Marist grad Alex Knight slaying buckets for Lake Forest
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Lake Forest College’s Alex Knight has been named to the All-Midwest Conference First Team in men’s basketball for the 2022-23 season. Knight, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who prepped at Marist, was the league’s leading scorer this season, averaging 18.1 points per conference game. He finished third in the MWC…

Pro Sports Report | SeatGeek to host Major League Rugby championship; Hounds sniff out first win
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer SeatGeek Stadium, host of the expansion Chicago Hounds, will host this season’s Major League Rugby championship game. The game is scheduled to be played July 8 in Bridgeview. It will air nationally on FOX. “Moving the championship match to a predetermined venue has long been a goal of…

Area Sports Roundup | Nazareth grads Martinucci, Evans have unfinished business at NJCAA National Tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Martinucci family carries a lot of weight in the Berwyn-Cicero area. Tony Martinucci has coached boys basketball at Morton High School for 24 years, racking up five regional titles and a trio of conference crowns during his tenure. His daughter, Jovanna, is hoping to do something even…

‘He’s our brother’
Spread the love. Clearing, Garfield Ridge mourn Officer Vásquez Lasso By Tim Hadac Chicago Police Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso didn’t live in Clearing or Garfield Ridge—he lived east of the airport, in West Lawn—but he and his family were essentially adopted by as many as 700 men, women and children here earlier this month.…

$15 million expansion for Stagg approved
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is…

Lake Katherine goes green again for St. Patrick’s Day
Spread the love By Kelly White One of Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens’ most popular features is its large waterfall, which tumbles over four separate falls, travels a distance of over 300 feet and descends approximately 30 feet before joining the lake itself on the east side. With Irish festivities in full swing…

Orland Township offers scholarships to high school seniors
Spread the loveLocal students graduating high school in 2023 and heading to college are encouraged to apply for an Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award. This program, launched in 1998, has since awarded over 340 scholarships to township students totaling more than $280,000. The Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award scholarships based on a combination of the…

Shepard breaks record for Special Olympics fund raising
Spread the loveMostly through the traditional Polar Plunge, this year Shepard High School broke its record for fund raising for Special Olympics. More students and staff — including nearly all administrators, band director Chris Pitlik, and choir director Roland Hatcher — participated than ever. This year also featured a new fundraising vehicle: A pie-in-the-face contest. …

He died protecting others
Spread the love. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] Like most in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, I was stunned and saddened by news of the death of Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso. Perhaps it’s because I have relatives who are CPD. Perhaps it’s because as a wife,…

Hale students fight hunger with food drive
Spread the loveBy Dermot Connolly Students at Hale Elementary School in Clearing collected thousands of items in a food drive that became a community event when the United Business Association of Midway coordinated the delivery of the goods to local food pantries. Seventh and eighth graders in the student leadership team organized the food drive…