Man whose infant son died after he dropped him went on to kill child's mother: Cook County prosecutors
CHICAGO - A man with a history of domestic abuse whose infant died after he dropped him allegedly went on to kill the child’s mother while he was out on bail for a gun case.
Edward Roscoe fired a pistol five times at Jessica Johnson, 30, while the couple was driving in the 500 block of East 103rd Street on April 25, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday.
Johnson was behind the wheel when 29-year-old Roscoe shot her, prosecutors said. She later died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Less than a year before, in December 2020, the couple’s 4-month-old boy died of a skull fracture after Roscoe dropped him, prosecutors said. No criminal charges have been filed in that case but officials in Gary, Indiana, where the couple had been residing, are investigating, prosecutors said.
In January 2020, Roscoe allegedly choked Johnson unconscious during a fight in front of their children. He also pushed her to the ground that same day at a gas station and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said. Roscoe later told police he knew Johnson was pregnant but that the baby wasn’t his, prosecutors said.
Johnson broke up with Roscoe after their baby died but later got back together with him, prosecutors said.
A month before he killed Johnson, Roscoe posted a $20,000 bail for an unauthorized use of a weapon case in Chicago. After failing to appear in court in August for the gun charge, a judge signed a warrant for his arrest.
Following the deadly shooting, Roscoe, was captured on Chicago police surveillance camera running out of the car when it stopped a few houses down, prosecutors said.
Later that night, Roscoe went back to Gary and told his roommates that he "f- – – – – – up" and killed "her" during an argument, prosecutors said. Roscoe allegedly didn’t mention Johnson by name but the roommates understood he was speaking about her.
Roscoe’s behavior made the roommates nervous, so they took their children from the home and called 911 to report Johnson’s death after seeing news reports, prosecutors said.
The roommates identified Roscoe in a private surveillance video near the shooting that showed Roscoe walking through a gangway and throwing a baseball cap into a dumpster, prosecutors said.
The roommate also identified that hat as belonging to Roscoe, prosecutors said. Roscoe was seen on his Facebook page wearing the same distinctive hat on the day of the murder, prosecutors said.
Edward Roscoe | Chicago police arrest photo
Roscoe was arrested in Houston, Texas, and extradited to Illinois on Sunday, police said.
He was ordered held without bail Tuesday for Johnson’s murder.