Communities Come Together for Children of Slain Oak Forest Woman
Faith United Methodist Church in Orland Park will hold a pancake breakfast Jan. 26, with proceeds benefiting the children of homicide victim Erica Rodriguez.
Oak Forest and surrounding towns are rallying around the children of slain Oak Forest woman Erica Rodriguez.
Faith United Methodist Church in Orland Park will host a pancake breakfast Jan. 26, in support of Rodriguez's three children.
Erica Rodriguez, 40, was found strangled inside her family's Oak Forest home Dec. 18, after firefighters extinguished a blaze. Her husband Martin Rodriguez, 48, faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated arson. Rodriguez was found outside the family's home with his throat slit.
The couple was married for 17 years, with children 17-year-old Sylvia, 15-year-old Andrew and 6-year-old Gloria. Erica was a devoted nurse and beloved member of the community.
The breakfast will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 26, at 15101 S. 80th Ave. The breakfast is sponsored by the church's Men of Faith group and the Faith Falcons basketball team.
Tickets are $3 for children and $5 for adults, and can be purchased through the church or at the door. All proceeds from the event will be placed in an established account at CNB Bank, 5459 W. 159th Street, Oak Forest.
All other donations are welcome at the breakfast as well.
For more information on the breakfast, call Faith United Methodist Church at (708) 444-8560.
More of the latest news on the Rodriguez case:
Bob
8:06 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
"All proceeds from the event will be placed in an established account at CNB Bank, 5459 W. 159th Street, Oak Forest."
In the past, funds in some of these types of accounts could have been taken by guardians, and sometimes even used as a defense fund for people in the situation of the Father/alleged murderer.
Who will have control of the funds received? Who are now the guardians of the children now? What limitations are there on the way the funds may be spent? Has some sort of trust been set up for the children's benefit?
I'm sure there are lawyers and bankers in the community that would be happy to set this up with no charge if it hasn't been done already.
In times of grief like this, making sure the children are protected as much as possible is key.
Jo
3:14 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
The grandfather is the legal guardian and the funds will go directly to him no worries it's been handled properly.
Bob
2:01 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Is that grandfather the Mom's Dad or the Fathers Dad? It makes a difference. Is he given the right to spend it on anything he wants, or are all collections required to be spent in the best interest of the kids? Setting up a trust for the benefit of the kids would be "doing things right". Why didn't they do that?
Bob
2:04 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Adding insult to injury, I believe all family assets now go to the father, and he can use it on lawyers instead of putting it aside for the kids. Has the grandfather become the legal guardian for the Mom's estate and the kids, or is he just getting the benefit money? This would be awfully short time for him to be named legal guardian and get permanent custody.
John Johnson
1:22 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013
To answer your questions Bob, which I really don't have or need to, I am the father of Erica. The money is still in the CNB account with only a portion having been taken out to help with the funeral expense. The balance is for my grandchildrens health, education and welfare, period! I fully appreciate and respect the love and consideration the community has shown for my daughter and my grandchildren and the last thing I would see is that love and consideration being dis-respected or abused. And as far as all other matters regarding my grandchildren quite frankly is not your concern or business.
Bob
12:52 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I certainly hope you follow through with what you wrote, although every scam artist for a benefit I've seen has said pretty much the same thing .
It just seems a bit unusual the way its being handled from a legal standpoint. If there's no Trust, is the money part of your daughter's estate? If so, her alleged murderer/husband may have a legal claim to it.
What happens if you're involved in a law suit from some sort of accident or other tort? If the account is in your name the money may be seized by the plaintiff. You also may be liable for estate expenses.
We've unfortunately been involved in a number of situtations where a child is either ill or a parent passed on. When there were fundraisers for them, a Trust was set up in EVERY case to protect the funds for the children. It seems like this is not the case here.
You may have good intentions, but ignorance on your part of the law regarding protection for the your grandchildrens' assets may be putting them at risk.
For their sake, if you're as beneficially responsible as you say you are, PLEASE speak to a lawyer regarding how to protect her estate assets for the kids regarding this issue, if you haven't already.
I can't believe a lawyer would recommend you doing things the way you are.