India Tribune Newsdesk
Schaumburg, IL: A 28-year-old Schaumburg man, Abhijit Patel, has been ordered to remain in custody while awaiting trial after being charged with first-degree murder in the brutal killing of his father, 67-year-old Anupam Patel, inside the family’s home on South Salem Drive.
The killing occurred on Saturday, November 29, 2025. According to authorities, Anupam Patel was found unresponsive and bleeding from the head in his bedroom shortly before 11 a.m. His wife, concerned after not receiving her husband’s usual 8 a.m. check-in call, attempted to reach both her husband and son before returning home around 10:30 a.m. When she arrived, her son told her he had “taken care of” his father and directed her to the bedroom. She discovered her husband covered in blood and immediately called 911.
Emergency responders pronounced Anupam Patel dead at 11:06 a.m. An autopsy determined that he had suffered at least two blows to the head, fracturing his skull and breaking his nose. The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing blunt force trauma from an assault.
When police arrived, Abhijit Patel met officers with his hands raised. Prosecutors said his shirt had visible blood spatter, and a sledgehammer was found next to the bed where his father lay. Patel later confessed to officers that he killed his father.
Authorities revealed that the elder Patel had an active order of protection against his son, entered on January 3, 2025, and set to expire on January 4, 2027. The order barred Abhijit Patel from harassing, abusing, or having unlawful contact with his father. Prosecutors stated that Patel had a history of threatening to kill his father and suffered from schizophrenia and delusions related to alleged childhood harm.
Court documents also show a pattern of disturbing behavior prior to the killing. In November 2024, while attending the University of Illinois Chicago, Patel posted alarming messages to students on social media and in group chats, resulting in his removal from campus until he received psychiatric evaluation.
Cook County Judge Andreana Turano ordered Patel to be held without bail, citing his history of psychiatric hospitalization, violence, protective order violations, and inability to control his anger. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with his mother.
Patel was booked into Cook County Jail on December 1, 2025. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 19, 2025. If convicted, he faces 20 to 60 years in prison.
