Irish woman a victim of Chicago attacker’s ‘violent rage’

A young Irish woman was attracted to the glamour of Chicago, but instead met with its dark "underbelly", the trial of the man accused of attempting to murder her heard yesterday.

Heriberto Viramontes (34) is accused of the attempted murders of Natasha McShane (27) from Silverbridge, Co Antrim, and her friend Stacy Jurich. He also faces 23 other charges ranging from misuse of a credit card to aggravated battery.

The charges stem from an incident early on April 23rd, 2010, when the two young women were attacked as they walked home from a night out in the Bucktown neighbourhood on Chicago’s north side.

Ms McShane, a UCD masters graduate in the city on an exchange programme, was severely injured and was in an induced coma for weeks. She was flown home that summer but remains severely disabled.

Mr Viramontes has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His female co-defendant Marcy Cruz accepted a plea deal in return for a 22-year sentence and is expected to testify against him.

Prosecutor Margaret Ogarek told the court Ms McShane and Ms Jurich were "unprepared, unsuspecting innocents".

She said Mr Viramontes had been cruising the Bucktown area in his van with with Cruz when he crept up on the women and hit Ms Jurich on the head with a baseball bat. He then “unleashed his violent rage” on the much smaller Ms McShane, the prosecutor added.

Defence claim

At the scene, Ms Jurich tried to describe the man who attacked her. This will be central to the trial, as defence lawyers claim she twice in the aftermath said the pair were assaulted by a black man. Mr Viramontes is Hispanic.

Mr Viramontes and Cruz went on a spending spree on Ms Jurich’s credit card, said Ms Ogarek. His fingerprint was on a bag found in the back of the van containing Ms McShane’s passport and other items, the court heard.

The case continues.