A woman who was stabbed to death Tuesday in Portage Park was remembered for her “positive attitude and unyielding kindness” in a fundraising appeal created by her family.
Lacramioara Beldie, 54, known by her family as Mirela, “wore a smile that radiated with warmth, compassion and love,” according to the GoFundMe, which has nearly reached its goal of $20,000 as of Saturday evening.
Her husband, Constantin Beldie, 57, had already been charged with choking and attempting to kidnap her last month when he allegedly stabbed her to death Tuesday afternoon in the 5600 block of West Leland Avenue.
Constantin Beldie was found dead inside a car a block away hours later. An autopsy to determine his cause of death was pending Saturday.
An off-duty Chicago police detective witnessed the attack and suffered a graze wound when he tried to intervene, police said.
Lacramioara Beldie had two sons, Antonio and Felix, and a daughter, Ani, who wrote in the fundraiser that their mother was a nanny who “was a guiding force for countless children.”
“She poured her heart into caring for others, creating lasting relationships with the families she worked with,” Ani Beldie wrote. “Her nurturing spirit, patience, and devotion touched the lives of children and parents alike, and her legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to know her.”
The fundraiser’s proceeds will go toward transporting Lacramioara Beldie back to her native Romania, memorial expenses and other associated costs.
A day before Tuesday’s attack, Constantin Beldie pleaded not guilty to felony counts of aggravated domestic battery involving choking, aggravated battery, attempted kidnapping and unlawful restraint, court records show.
Those charges stemmed from a separate attack against his wife Oct. 9 — the same day he was served with an emergency order of protection she had sought, court records show. It was the second order of protection she had sought against her husband this year.
Prosecutors filed a petition that day to have him held in Cook County Jail pending trial, but it was denied by Judge Thomas E. Nowinski. The judge instead released Beldie on GPS monitoring, ordered him to refrain from possessing weapons and forbade him from visiting his wife’s home, work or school.
Nowinski has faced heavy criticism since Tuesday for declining to hold Constantin Beldie in custody on the previous charges. Advocates for domestic violence survivors issued a written statement urging Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans to reassign Nowinski to prevent him from hearing similar domestic cases.
Contributing: Tom Schuba