Dressed in a green polo shirt and jeans and carrying a black jacket, Sir Wilfred Camaligan appeared to show no emotion as he headed to bond court Sunday morning.
"I usually reserve no bail for murderers, but sir, there is no condition I can set to keep the community safe from you," said Judge Adam Bougeois in court.
The certified nursing assistant is charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and domestic aggravated battery for allegedly battering the woman he once dated while forcing her to stay at his West Lawrence Avenue apartment on the city's Northwest Side.
"He was so quiet. They don't talk with us. They just say hi, good morning, goodnight, good evening," said Carlos Merced, the suspect's neighbor.
Prosecutors say the 20-year-old female victim began seeing Camaligan after corresponding on Facebook and meeting at a Japanese animation, or anime, convention in June of 2011. A month later, the Michigan native moved to Chicago and began living with Camaligan.
"After a few weeks, the defendant became possessive, and wouldn't let the victim leave. He began beating the victim with a crowbar and a stick, strangled her and forced her to kneel on rice, while telling her that he was going to kill her," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney William Hall.
The woman tells police he also forced to cut her hands and carve an "X" into her breast.
"I saw her at the laundry and on the stairs, and she looked normal," Merced said.
Investigators say although Camaligan did not allow the woman to leave the home without permission, she managed to escape on Friday. That's when she used a Good Samaritan's phone to contact her mother, who then called police. Officers arrested Camaligan the same day after finding him hiding in the basement of his residence.
The victim suffered from hearing loss in both ears and was treated for bruises and fractured bones.
According to an arrest report, investigators found a knife, a wooden stick and a crowbar from Camaligan's home. It's still unclear what sparked the abuse.
Some area residents expressed shock upon hearing about the Camaligan's arrest.
"I am stunned, speechless," said area resident Brenda Lersch. "I would like to know why something like this could actually happen in a busy neighborhood."
"It is insane. I work late and I come home late, I have never heard screaming or anything. Just to think that somebody would be abused next to me is unheard of. It is very scary," said neighbor Stacey Burton.
Officials couldn't confirm if the victim's family had filed any kind of missing persons report, or if she had made any attempts to contact them about being held against her will.
