A Chicago, Illinois woman is currently in jail after a vicious assault that led to her boyfriend’s death on Monday of this week. Police say that Yasmine Elder, 24, was in a parked van with her boyfriend, Darrius Ellis, 26, when the two got into a heated argument. The two began to physically fight and at some point Elder overpowered her boyfriend, she then took a bottle of bleach and forced the liquid down his throat.
First responders found Ellis unconscious on the pavement. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 3:26 a.m., a little over an hour after the assault. An autopsy was performed on Tuesday and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office listed the cause of death as a homicide from “complications from forcible administration of a caustic substance.” Elder was arrested on Wednesday and charged with her boyfriend’s killing.
Family and friends described Ellis as a hardworking father of a 5-year-old son. He was a graduate of Kennedy-King College and worked as a welder. His aunt, Mengyona Flowers, wrote on Facebook, “My nephew, this was a good young man trying his best. To help everybody taking my grandbabies to school and picking them up every day. We loved him but God loved him best.”
Experts have stated that a small amount of bleach will not kill a person but in the case of Ellis’ death, the amount must have been considerable. Consuming a large amount can cause pain and irritation in the mouth and throat; pain and possible burns in the esophagus, gastrointestinal tract and internal organs, vomiting, convulsions, and shock.
Elder is due back in court today.
