The mother of the Westmont man who fatally stabbed his father Nov. 19 at their Westmont home said her son has struggled with depression, but has no history of violence.

Irina Demtsyo, mother of Rostyslav Demtsyo, 28, said her son had been taking antidepressants and regularly seeing a doctor for depression since about 2002. Rostyslav remains in serious condition at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove for injuries suffered in a car crash that occurred Nov. 19 when he was fleeing police.

Police said Rostyslav stabbed and killed his father, Oleg Demtsyo, 53, at about 9 p.m. Nov. 19 after an argument at their Westmont home, 233 N. Wilmette St.

In the weeks leading up to the stabbing, Rostyslav had seemed tired at work, Irina said, but he did not have a history of violent outbursts.

“It was shocking to me,” she said. “(Rostyslav) would never even hurt a fly. He didn’t drink, he didn’t do drugs. He was an A-student.”

Irina said Rostyslav had been living with his parents and trying to help with house payments. She said he was fixing ATMs for a living and had attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before dropping out about six years ago.

“We were a friendly family, and we supported each other,” she said.

On the night of the stabbing, Irina said she had gone upstairs to change clothes when she heard her husband scream ‘He’s killing me. He’s stabbing me,’ from outside of the house. She said she opened her window that looks out over the driveway and saw her son flee in a vehicle.

“I don’t know what they would have been fighting about,” she said.

A memorial service for Oleg was held on Saturday at Ukrainian Church in Chicago.
Irina said the family emigrated from the Ukraine in 1995.

The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office is waiting until Rostyslav’s medical condition improves before pressing charges.

Irina said last week a nurse told her Rostyslav had opened his eyes and was following primitive directions.

“I talked to him on the phone and said ‘Son, I love you,’” she said.

Police did not release information on the conditions of the four victims hospitalized after the three-car crash caused in Darien when Rostyslav’s vehicle hit another vehicle during a police chase. However, Westmont Police Chief Jim Ramey said most, if not all, were released from the hospital last week.

Irina, formerly an English teacher who now works as a teaching assistant at a Berwyn school, said she would like to apologize to the victims of the crash.

“I feel their pain,” she said. “I know they are mad at me, but the fact was, he (Rostyslav) was sick.”