An Illinois woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death allegedly asked her Google device to play music as she danced in handcuffs while being arrested nearly a year after his death.
On December 2, 2024, the suspect, 40-year-old Whitney Wilcox, was re-arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, 46-year-old Jeremy Rodgers, in February.
Wilcox was initially arrested closer to the time of his death and released without being charged, but new DNA evidence has emerged that allowed Cook County prosecutors to now charge her with first-degree murder.
As Wilcox waited for police to take her in for questioning last week, she “ordered her Google device to play several songs and danced while handcuffed in the living room.”
On February 26, Wilcox and Rodgers allegedly had been arguing at their Chicago apartment when she called 911 and reported that Rodgers had been stabbed but claimed she didn’t know who did it.
Police arrived on the scene to find Rodgers bleeding out on the bathroom floor of the couple’s apartment while Wilcox was “distressed but otherwise clean and free from blood.”
She allegedly told officers that she had stabbed Rodgers in self-defense as they were fighting.
But before he died, Rodgers allegedly blamed Wilcox as he was being treated by first responders. Rodgers was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment, where he also allegedly told medical staff that Wilcox stabbed him. He died from his injuries the next day. His death was ruled a homicide.
Prosecutors at the time said she stabbed Rodgers in self-defense, and she was released.
Investigators recovered a large bloody knife next to the kitchen sink from the couple’s apartment.
The knife was later tested and was found to have Wilcox’s DNA on the handle and Rodgers’ blood on the blade — leading to the new charges.
Wilcox is being held without bail pending trial. Her next court appearance is scheduled for December 24.
