Retired Chicago cop convicted in 2017 murder of wife in Spring Grove

Lorin Volberding called a neighbor on Feb. 3, 2017, and left a voicemail in which he said he shot and killed his wife, Elizabeth Volberding, prosecutors said

SHARE Retired Chicago cop convicted in 2017 murder of wife in Spring Grove
A retired Chicago police officer was found guilty Jan. 15, 2020, of fatally shooting his wife in 2017 in the 10800 block of East Riviera Drive in Spring Grove.

A retired Chicago police officer was found guilty Jan. 15, 2020, of fatally shooting his wife in 2017 in the 10800 block of East Riviera Drive in Spring Grove.

Google Maps

A retired Chicago police officer was found guilty this week in the 2017 murder of his wife, also a retired CPD officer, in northwest suburban Spring Grove.

McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge found 74-year-old Lorin E. Volberding guilty Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder, according to a statement from the McHenry County state’s attorney’s office.

He called a neighbor about 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2017, and left a voicemail in which he said he shot and killed his wife, prosecutors said. Spring Grove police arrived at the home in the 10800 block of East Riviera Drive and found 68-year-old Elizabeth M. Volberding dead in the kitchen with a gunshot wound to her neck.

Lorin Volberding

Lorin Volberding

McHenry County state’s attorney’s office

Prosecutors said Lorin Volberding shot his wife during a domestic dispute. He was taken into custody later that day.

Relatives told the Sun-Times after the shooting that Lorin Volberding had barricaded himself inside the home and threatened his wife at gunpoint for several hours in 2015, but that charges were never pressed in that case.

Both Lorin and Elizabeth Volberding retired from jobs with the Chicago Police Department in January 2000, according to relatives and Chicago police. Lorin Volberding had been a CPD officer for 27 years, while his wife retired after 23 years in the department.

A sentencing hearing for Lorin Volberding is scheduled for March 25. He faces a mandatory minimum of 45 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and will be required to serve the full term of any sentence under truth in sentencing guidelines.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

The Latest
Murder charges have been filed against suspect Christian I. Soto, 22. Investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks, but they say Soto had been smoking marijuana before the rampage.
To celebrate the historic coinciding of the emerging of two broods, artists can adopt a cicada for free in exchange for decorating it and displaying it publicly. Others can purchase the cicadas for $75.
Senators tasked with clearing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointments are raising concerns over his renomination of Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau after the Sun-Times last year reported an executive assistant accounted for more than $240,000 in billings.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.