Elgin woman's husband charged in her fatal stabbing month before divorce finalized, family says

Dreanna Booker had order of protection against suspect Pierre French amid divorce; 6 children now without parents, her family says
Saturday, December 14, 2024 10:39PM CT
ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) -- A 33-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her husband at a home in Elgin last week, just a month before their divorce was set to be finalized.

The stabbing victim was discovered around 1 a.m. Dec. 7 in the 700 block of Bluff City Boulevard in Elgin, police said. A male suspect, 36-year-old Pierre J. French of Elgin, was taken into custody shortly after the incident.



ABC7 spoke to the family of Dreanna Booker Saturday as they say they're trying to rely on their faith to get through the tragedy.

"She meant a lot," the victim's niece, Zahnae Scott, said. "She was a real inspirational person."



Booker's family is still trying to comprehend the loss of their loved one.



French, whos is accused in the murder, was Booker's husband, the family said. Their divorce was set to be finalized January 1, 2025.

"We want justice for my baby," the victim's brother, Thomas Mitchell, said. "Everything else we're putting in God's hands. Lord have mercy."

Court records show Booker had an emergency order of protection filed against French in July.



The couple's six children, ranging from 1 to 14 years old, are now left without both of their parents.

"Her kids meant the world to her," the victim's nephew, Tayvion, said. "Nobody could take her kids away from her, and we're gonna forever have her kids everyday."

The family is now rallying together as they say Booker will always be remembered for the love she showed to those around her.

"She meant the world," Scott said. "She's the one that inspired me to do my braids and do my own hair. She always reminded me, 'you're so pretty.'"



"We got God in our life," the victim's mother, Diana Booker Williams, said. "They're my strength and I'm their strength."



French now faces first-degree murder charges and he is due back in court on Wednesday in Kane County.

No further information about the fatal stabbing was immediately available from police.

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