A man out on parole has been accused of killing a 73-year-old nurse last month and then using her engagement and wedding rings to propose to his girlfriend.

Prosecution said that Raymond Harris, 36, had attacked the elderly nurse and left her unconscious and bleeding in her garage and showed off her rings to his girlfriend at a party a few hours later. However, his girlfriend, Lorraine Reed, returned the stolen rings to police.

He was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and armed robbery, and was denied bond in the case Thursday.

The elderly nurse has been identified as Virginia Perillo who was found beaten up in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood last month. A neighbor found her unconscious on the ground in her garage Oct. 22. Perillo was rushed to Stroger Hospital where she was announced brain dead two days after she had been admitted.

According to the prosecutor, the DNA evidence that was found in Perillo's car matched Harris's DNA. Harris, after taking the ring, left his watch in her car.

In a statement, Perillo's family said that the arrest brought them some relief. They said that they had been continuously working with the Chicago Police and had found out various pieces of evidence that were pointing towards Harris.

It has been a stressful and busy time for us knowing that the person that murdered my mom was still out there. We're just relieved knowing that there is one less criminal on the street. We can begin the healing process and put some closure to this and hopefully find the answers as to why, said the statement.

He had been serving a 30-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated arson, but was released in May when he had completed 13 years. In 1997, Harris broke into a woman's home, beat her up, raped her for several hours and set her house on fire. However, the victim managed to escape.

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