Tinley Park Man Guilty In Beating Death Of Teenage Daughter: Jury

BRIDGEVIEW — It took a jury less than an hour to convict a Tinley Park man of murder in the brutal beating death of his teenage daughter.

Mohammed Almaru was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the 2022 death of his 17-year-old daughter, Mia Maro, according to court documents. Maro was killed inside her family's Tinley Park home in May 2022.

Almaru beat Maro to death days after rescinding permission for her to attend her high school's prom. In a letter he shared with family just after the slaying, Almaru said he had sifted through Maro's phone, citing messages that led him not to trust her.

"I lost my mind went out of control and beat the [expletive] out of her and accidental hit her head," the letter said. "Then I ... woke up next to her cold body."

Police at the scene recovered a bent metal pole and a rubber mallet that medical experts said contained traces of Mia's blood, scalp and hair.

Along with her brothers, Maro was a caregiver for her mother Audrey Jorgenson, who suffered a traumatic brain injury several years prior that rendered her wheelchair-bound and in need of full-time care. In the same letter, Almaru also blamed Jorgenson for making Maro believe her father did not care for her, according to court documents.

An aunt discovered Maro's body inside the home, with a bloody Almaru nearby. Maro had bruises throughout her body, and medical professionals could not determine a singular cause of death, then-Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew Walsh said. Almaru had cuts to his wrist and throat when found.

Almaru's sentencing is set for Oct. 7.