Former local writer fatally shot after Schaumburg wedding remembered as ‘defender of those who had no voice.'

Chicago Tribune

10 hours ago

A former local newspaper reporter allegedly shot and killed by her father-in-law after a family wedding in Schaumburg will be remembered by loved ones as a compassionate journalist, accomplished public relations expert and 'defender of those who had no voice,' according to her obituary.
Family members and friends will gather Saturday for funeral services for Christine Moyer, 45, of Galena, Ohio, a public relations official for the north suburban-based global health care company Abbott who once worked as a reporter for the Aurora Beacon-News, Elgin Courier-News and other newspapers.
A visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 845 W. Main St. in West Dundee, followed by a funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. Moyer will be cremated and her inurnment will take place privately in Ohio, according to her obituary.
'She just had a real heart to advocate, especially for those whose voices weren't being heard,' said Pastor Mark Albrecht of NorthBridge Church in Antioch, which Moyer used to attend with her family.
Moyer is survived by her husband Michael Schmidt, their 14-year-old daughter Abra and 9-year-old son Elliott. She was preceded in death by their child Gabriel, who was 'born into Heaven,' according to the obituary.
'Christine was Christian; she was a child of God, a woman of faith. Feverishly studying God's word,' the obituary said. 'She selflessly gave to others every moment of her life. She exemplified Christ.'
Moyer suffered a gunshot wound to the head July 25 outside a Marriott hotel in Schaumburg, where she and her husband were guests at the wedding of her husband's cousin, along with her father-in-law and other relatives, according to the Schaumburg Police Department.
The alleged gunman, 76-year-old Roland Schmidt of Stillman Valley near Rockford, followed Moyer outside to the parking lot after the reception. As Moyer headed to her car, her father-in-law pulled out a firearm and shot her in the back of her head, police said.
She was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where she died that night. A handgun was recovered from the scene, according to police.
Roland Schmidt, who was charged with first-degree murder, was angry that Moyer recently served divorce paperwork to his son, according to police. Roland Schmidt had been divorced from his son's mother since 1999, a separation that 'was not amicable,' and he did not have a close relationship with his ex-wife or his children, police said.
Moyer's sister-in-law and her sister-in-law's husband, as well as another witness and off-duty police officer, were able to disarm the father-in-law, police said. There had been no arguments or conversation about the divorce at the wedding, according to authorities.
The couple married in 2009 and lived in the Chicago area until August 2024, when they moved to Galena, Ohio, court documents said. Court documents show Moyer filed for divorce in early July. Moyer's husband did not return Tribune requests for comment.
Roland Schmidt allegedly told authorities he planned the shooting a week prior to the wedding and had intended to take his own life afterward; police said he asked his son for forgiveness as he was being taken away in a squad car.
Moyer was a loving mother and devoted Christian, as well as an avid reader and writer, according to her obituary.
'She was loved,' the obituary said. 'She will be deeply missed.'
After graduating from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, Moyer earned a master's degree in journalism from Boston University and a master's degree in public health from Loyola University Chicago.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a reporter at the Courier-Journal, where she covered education, as well as other newspapers in Louisiana and the Washington, D.C., area, according to her LinkedIn page.
'Christine had such enthusiasm for her job and the craft of writing and story-telling that she quickly advanced to become one of our best writers,' one of her Courier-News editors said in a recommendation on her LinkedIn page.
As a reporter at the Beacon-News, her work earned awards from the National Federation of Press Women, the Chicago Headline Club and the Illinois Press Association.
Heather Eidson, a friend and former colleague at the Beacon-News, recalled that Moyer was eager to hone her craft and convey important stories to readers.
They spent about a year working together on a story sharing the experience of a single mother of three children who was living in Hesed House in Aurora, as she trained for a job and then moved into more permanent housing.
'It was a really sensitive story. Christine was a compassionate reporter. She cared very deeply for her sources and she was just a very kind person,' Eidson said. 'She really conveyed that dignity and respect to others when she was reporting on them and what they were going through, in their struggles and in their lives.'
In a 2007 story 'The comeback kid,' Moyer chronicled the first game back on the field for an Oswego high school football player who was severely injured in a car crash that killed five teens, a tragic DUI case that rocked the community earlier that year.
'For Josh, the game meant more than the start of the season. It was the fulfillment of a dream. Six months earlier, he lay unmoving in a hospital bed, a survivor of a car crash that killed five of his classmates,' Moyer wrote. 'When Josh couldn't walk, he was consumed with thoughts of football. In his dreams, it was always the team's first game of the year and he was always dressed to play.'
In a first-person 'From the Storyteller' piece, Moyer relayed what it was like to write about volunteers who buy birthday presents for children residing at an Aurora shelter.
'A young girl who then lived at Hesed House told me about him. She was hoping she'd get a digital camera on her next birthday. Nothing fancy, she assured me. Just something to take pictures with …' Moyer recounted in 2009. 'Astounded by this support, I ventured out to meet some of these selfless volunteers and find out what compels them to give so much to those who have so little.'
For the past 11 years, Moyer was a 'proud employee of Abbott,' according to her obituary.
'More than a decade ago the last newspaper I ever wrote for folded. And just like that, I was a journalist without a job. Today, I lead the external communications strategy that spotlights why Abbott — one of the world's leading health care companies — is a great place to work,' Moyer said on her LinkedIn page. 'I'm a mentor, relationship builder, and trusted public relations advisor, and in my spare time I give back as best I can, focused on giving a voice to those who don't have one.'
Scott Stoffel, a spokesman at Abbott who worked closely with Moyer, said the company is 'heartbroken over this tragedy.'
'Christine was a beloved colleague for more than a decade and we are devastated by her loss,' he said. 'Our hearts go out to her children.'
Moyer also volunteered with an English as a Second Language program at NorthBridge Church, helping 'non-native English speakers in our community perfect their language abilities and skills,' according to her LinkedIn page.
Albrecht, the pastor, said Moyer attended NorthBridge with her husband and children for many years before the family moved to Ohio.
He recalled that Moyer volunteered with the church children's ministry and also provided pro bono public relations expertise a few years ago when the NorthBridge spearheaded a project to build Treehouse Community Playground in Antioch, which opened last year; the 6,600-square-foot play space was unique in the area because it was designed to be ADA-compliant and inclusive for children with disabilities.
'She and her husband lost a child early in their marriage and out of that came this great compassion for doing things that were helpful to kids,' Albrecht said.
The pastor added that NorthBridge Church is grieving for Moyer and her family.
'She was very easy to get to know and connect with. You wouldn't know, from a first meeting with her, how accomplished she was in the corporate world because she just had a very humble and unassuming way about her,' he added. 'She had a genuine heart for the Lord and for Jesus.'