Nov. 22--Roxana Abrudan, who police say was fatally attacked by her husband this week, was a thoughtful co-worker who often brought gifts to colleagues at a northwest suburban design firm, her supervisor said Friday.
But colleagues also knew she was having trouble at home, said Abrudan's boss, who asked that his name not be used.
"She didn't know anybody else, she didn't have anybody else and she needed help," he said.
Abrudan's husband of four months, Cristian Loga-Negru, 38, is charged in her slaying, which took place in Wisconsin. The couple had lived in Arlington Heights, and prosecutors say Loga-Negru "hunted her down" to her boss' home near Milwaukee, where she had taken refuge after seeking a protective order against her husband.
On Wednesday evening, Abrudan, 36, was confronted by Loga-Negru, who struck her several times with a black hatchet, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said he dragged her into a rented silver SUV and sped off to a motel, where police found him a short time later. Abrudan died of her injuries at a nearby hospital.
Her boss and another co-worker remembered Abrudan on Friday as a kind and selfless woman.
"She deserved better than she got," Abrudan's boss said. "She was a real person to us. She's not a crime certificate."
Abrudan joined the firm, which the boss asked not be named, three months ago. The company was impressed by Abrudan's graphic design skills. She was an aspiring architect who was finishing a degree in interior design.
"She was the most qualified. She had the skills," said a female colleague, who also asked not to be named.
For the two colleagues, the first hint Abrudan was experiencing trouble at home came when she said she couldn't go to New York for work without her husband. They also said they saw bruises and other evidence she was being abused, and urged her to go to authorities. Records show Arlington Heights police were notified three times of alleged domestic abuse at the home where Abrudan and her husband lived.
"She went to police. Nothing really came of it, which is when we offered (our house)," her boss said. "She couldn't go home at night."
According to civil court records, on Nov. 3, Abrudan went to Cook County court and asked for an order of protection against her husband. The case was to be continued Monday.
Abrudan often made meals -- polenta, soups and chicken dishes -- for her colleagues, the two colleagues said.
"I thought we were going to be lifelong friends," the woman said.
At work, Abrudan brought colleagues movie tickets to encourage them to break away from the grueling work hours. Another time, she bought her boss a cooking pan as a token of friendship.
"She made me promise not to tell him how much (the pan) cost," the woman said.
saho@tribpub.com
