Prosecutors: Man beat ex-girlfriend to death in Marquette Park home

Quincy Rhone’s brother was worried after talking with him last summer, worried about Rhone’s estranged longtime girlfriend, Nicole Douglas, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy recounted Monday.

On a Saturday afternoon in June 2018, Rhone called his brother and asked him to come over, and talked about Douglas taking up with a co-worker of Rhone’s, Murphy said. And when Rhone’s brother noticed Rhone was upset, Rhone apologized and said he “was going to do life,” according to Murphy.

That night, Rhone’s brother went to Douglas’ apartment to check on her. The next morning, he called police, who forced their way into the locked apartment and found Douglas’ battered body, 42, on the floor of the bathroom, Murphy said. Rhone had boarded a flight to Los Angeles the day before, prosecutors allege.

Monday, Rhone appeared in bond court at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, after being arrested in California on first-degree murder charges last month. Judge David Navarro ordered Rhone held without bail.

Douglas’ half-naked body had bruises and bite marks, and the shower curtain had been torn off, and part of the sink broken, Murphy said. An autopsy showed signs Douglas had been strangled. Rhone’s DNA was on Douglas’ neck, Murphy said. Police surveillance cameras showed the Nissan sedan that Douglas and Murphy shared heading to the apartment around the time neighbor’s heard the struggle.

Neighbors told police they heard “commotion” from Douglas’ apartment the night she was killed, and heard a female voice say “I can’t breathe” and a male voice reply “die, bitch, die.”

Murphy said Rhone had a friend drive him to O’Hare International Airport the same day, and that Rhone bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles and boarded the plane with no luggage.