Mary Stachowicz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mary Stachowicz was murdered on November 13, 2002 by her coworker Nicholas Gutierrez. Gutierrez claims the murder happened following an argument.

At the time of her death, Mrs. Stachowicz was a 51-year-old mother of four. That day, she attended Mass at the Basilica of St. Hyacinth in the Chicago neighborhood of Avondale before beginning her shift as a Polish-English translator at the Sikorski Funeral Home across the street, where Gutierrez worked as a janitor.

Stachowicz was beaten, stabbed, and ultimately strangled with a garbage bag. Gutierrez later concealed her body in a crawlspace under the floor.

In a confession videotaped by Chicago police, Gutierrez claimed that the victim was questioning his lifestyle choices and it reminded him of debates he had with his mother.

Her murder is the focus of some attention by conversatives and Catholics, who regard it an unrecognized hate crime.

Groups such as the Concerned Women for America, have complained about the comparative lack of media attention given to the case which they believe meets the definition of a hate crime against Christians and heterosexuals.

Conservative writer Rod Dreher has written about her death, arguing that it should receive the same level of media attention as the death of Matthew Shepard.1