Joliet man convicted of attempted murder for shooting his son

June 7

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced today that a Joliet man was convicted of attemped murder in connection with the shooting of his 12-year-old son 18 months ago.

A jury deliberated for 35 minutes before convicting Roderick Tademy, 37, of 1221 Cutter Ave., of attempted murder, aggravated battery to a child and aggravated battery with a firearm. He faces a possible penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced by Circuit Judge Sarah Jones on Aug. 3.

The young boy was sitting on his couch and playing video games when his father shot him in the head with a .22-caliber handgun on Dec. 20, 2010.  The boy’s mother testified that after she heard the gunfire, Roderick Tademy told her that her son was dead. She dialed 911 and police arrested Tademy at the scene.

The victim survived the attack but remains in a long-term care facility and requires a ventilator to breathe. Roderick Tademy alleged that he suffered from insanity at the time of the shooting, a claim the jury quickly rejected at the conclusion of the roughly weeklong trial.

“It is beyond belief that a father would shoot his own son in such a callous fashion,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “It is the ultimate betrayal of the unconditional love a parent owes his child.”

Glasgow thanked Assistant State’s Attorney’s Tricia McKenna and Dan Walsh for expert trial work that secured this important conviction.