A man appeared in court Tuesday on charges alleging he encouraged his girlfriend’s suicide before handing her the loaded gun with which she fatally shot herself.
Mario Laboy, 49, is charged with three felony counts of inducement to commit suicide in connection to the July 4 shooting in Portage Park that left Martha Rodriguez, 46, dead, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Cook County Judge Luciano Panici Jr. ordered Laboy released while awaiting trial.
According to court documents prepared by prosecutors, Laboy arrived around midnight to Rodriguez’s home in the 5000 block of West Sunnyside Avenue. Prosecutors said they had been dating for several years.
More than two hours later, he told her he was going to break up with her, prosecutors said.
Doorbell surveillance video shows Laboy walking to his car while Rodriguez remained on her porch, prosecutors said.
She then began texting him about suicide, prosecutors said. At that point, he allegedly told her that if she was going to hurt herself, not to “half-step,” prosecutors said.
After more texts and an eight-minute phone call, Laboy allegedly returned to her porch around 3:07 a.m.
“Here you go. Do it,” he was caught saying on nearby surveillance camera audio, according to prosecutors. “Put it in your mouth. Do it.”
A gunshot is heard on the audio before he screams and her children wake up, prosecutors said. When police arrived, Laboy led them to the porch where they recovered a revolver near her foot and started rendering aid, prosecutors said. She was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and pronounced dead.
Her death was ruled a suicide in the autopsy, prosecutors said. Laboy later admitted to police that he “may have handed her the gun,” prosecutors said.
The Cook County public defender’s office wasn’t immediately able to comment.
Prosecutors said that Laboy previously faced a domestic violence charge in Tennessee but that the charge was dismissed in 2011.
Laboy is due in court again on July 23.
If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, dial 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s open 24/7 and in Illinois still offers LGBTQ+ counselors. The Trevor Project also runs an around-the-clock youth hotline at 1-866-488-7386 and a text/chat option.