On July 21, 1966, 15-year-old Susan Marino, a white female from Joliet, Illinois, was tragically murdered by her brother-in-law, 18-year-old John William Agrue. Agrue had invited Susan to accompany him to the Hammel Woods forest preserve, where he made unwanted romantic advances toward her. When Susan rejected these advances, Agrue became enraged and fatally stabbed her approximately twelve times.
Following the murder, Agrue returned home and confessed his actions to his wife, Susan's sister, who initially doubted his claims. To prove his guilt, Agrue took her to the crime scene, showing her Susan's belongings he had left behind. Urged by his wife to surrender, Agrue instead sought counsel from a local priest, who subsequently informed the authorities. Agrue was arrested two days later and, during interrogation, admitted to killing Susan due to her rejection of his advances.
Agrue was swiftly convicted of Susan Marino's murder and sentenced to a prison term ranging from 20 to 50 years. During his incarceration, he briefly escaped in 1975 while recovering from a kidney donation surgery but was recaptured in Nebraska shortly thereafter. After serving approximately 14 years, Agrue was paroled in 1980. He later committed additional violent crimes in Colorado in 1982, leading to further imprisonment. Agrue remained incarcerated until his death in 2009.
