Rodney Harvey and Julia Martin
A 28-year-old Human Resource Supervisor at an Architecture Firm, Julia Martin, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend of over 3 years, Rodney Harvey, 35 after they broke up 6 months ago.
Harvey had visited Julia at her apartment in the 3000 block of South King Drive, on the premise of collecting the engagement ring he gave to her Friday night. Police said he forced open the door and stabbed her repeatedly before jumping to his death from her apartment.
According to the police report, she grabbed her phone and called police immediately after the attack at about 7PM, asking them to send an ambulance for her. She also told them the name of the man who stabbed her.
She also called and texted her dad.
“Not only did she call me, she texted me while she was going through all. She was calling everybody, saying that she wanted help. She called another friend and she was panting over the phone, trying to get her breath. He thought it was a prank and he hung up on her. He feels so bad,” her dad, Derrick Martin said Monday.
Her message to her dad which he saw much later, read “Call me ASAP.”
Julia was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was taken to at about 7:37PM.
She had met with her dad few days before her death, telling him that she was going to return the ring.
“She never went into that much detail about how bad it was, she was just telling me that they had broke it off and that she was planning on giving the ring back. There was no indication he was dangerous… I never would’ve thought that in a million years,” Derrick Martin said.
Harvey, a personal trainer, who lived at 2300 block of South Michigan Avenue, was pronounced dead at 7:18PM at the same hospital.
Harvey’s family is raising awareness for Mental Illnesses following the attack as his brother, Nick revealed that he has been diagnosed with mental health problems, including depression.
“My brother has had lifelong issues with diagnosed mental health problems. My mother has devoted so much of her life to trying to make sure he was happy. If you have kids … you know, you fight tooth and nail for your children. We feel awful about what happened.
He had his way of doing things. A lot of people were drawn to him because I think you respect people who aren’t overly conscious over what other people think. It’s one of those enviable qualities. You wish you could be that carefree,” Nick said.
Nick said Harvey has a 13-year-old daughter and his sister’s death 10 years ago (due to heart problems), inspired a love of fitness in him.
