Bond denied for UIC worker charged in garage shooting

A University of Illinois Medical Center worker who allegedly shot dead his ex-wife in a hospital parking lot on Thanksgiving was denied bond Sunday by a Cook County judge.

Earl Roberts, 46, of the 5000 block of West Adams, was filmed by a security camera gunning down Angela Bonds, 48, as she left work at the UIC hospital in the 1800 block of West Taylor Thursday evening, prosecutors say.

He wasn’t caught until Friday morning, when an FBI agent on his way to work helped UIC police arrest him following a chase, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Randall Tyner said.

Roberts and Bonds had separated seven years earlier and were divorced, but both worked in the housekeeping department at the hospital, as did Bonds’ fiance, authorities said.

Wearing a hooded top, Roberts ran up behind Bonds, her fiance Jimmy Lockett and pal Donzell Lampkin and pulled out a .357-caliber handgun, according to a police report.

As all three ran for a door, the hood fell from Roberts’ head as he shot Bonds in the back and through the top of her head, Tyner said.

Roberts chased Lockett up a ramp, but the 41-year-old was able to run away and hide in a bush until police arrived, Tyner added.

The next morning, a UIC officer spotted Roberts climbing into a van, but when he pulled the vehicle over, Roberts took off on foot and threw his gun and jacket over a fence before the officer arrested him with the help of a passing FBI agent, Tyner said.

Roberts wore hospital scrubs and did not speak during a brief appearance before Judge Israel Desierto Sunday.

He has three adult children, no criminal record and regularly attends church, his attorney Bill Knox said.

Bonds’ family said last week that she had been targeted by a cruel prankster who had keyed her car and poured sugar in the fuel tank over the last two years.

The hospital had to be locked down for several hours while police searched for Roberts, officials said at the time.