September 13, 2023
CHICAGO, IL—A carjacker allegedly killed a Filipino woman by zip-tying her throat—then left a note in the stolen car apologizing for the callous crime and calling the murder his “only choice.”
Reese Miller, 24, was caught behind the wheel of Ma Operio’s Toyota three hours after the 61-year-old victim was found on August 30 with a “zip tie around her neck impeding her breathing.” She died four days later, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Authorities recovered a knife and the apology note.
“I’m deeply sorry for hurting anyone at the moment, it seemed to be the only choice.
“I didn’t want to hurt people. It was never something I ever thought possible until the realization of reality hit me.”
The Chicago native allegedly confessed to the crime and was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated vehicular hijacking.
Police officers found Operio outside her Harwood Heights home just after 6:30 a.m. with a zip tie around her neck. Officers removed it and performed CPR before transferring her to the hospital, where she was immediately put on life support until her death four days later, according to the New York Post.
“They said when she was laying on the pavement she was already dead,” Operio’s mother, Maria Gimeno, told WGNTV. “They revived her when they took her to the ER and then she was brain dead.”
A witness reported he heard “grunts” coming from Operio’s property before seeing a man in a black hoodie on top of the woman, police said. Miller allegedly moved the victim’s body after securing the zip tie—and stole her car with the trunk still open.
Hours after Miller left Operio for dead, police found her car with Miller behind the wheel. He reportedly confessed after cops read him his Miranda rights.
Miller’s public defender said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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