Nygren: Elderly Couple Killed in 'Random Incident of Violence'

An elderly couple was stabbed to death in their rural Marengo home Tuesday night by a neighbor who police said Wednesday suffered from a mental illness.

John Feldkamp, 83, and his wife, Audrey Feldkamp, 81, were in their home at 7580 Somerset near Coral Woods in unincorporated McHenry County at 8:17 p.m. when 27-year-old Doran Bloom entered the home with a knife, McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the sheriff's office in Woodstock.

Bloom’s folding knife had a 4-inch blade, Nygren said.

Upon entering the home, Bloom proceeded to stab the couple in what Nygren referred to as a "random incident of violence." There were no signs of forced entry.

The couple’s son, Scott Feldkamp, 54, walked into the home when Bloom was stabbing his father, Nygren said during the press conference. Feldkamp lived in Florida and was visiting his parents in Marengo at the time of the attack.

Bloom proceeded to stab Scott Feldkamp, who broke free and went upstairs to retrieve a 9 mm pistol in the home, Nygren said. Bloom began to stab Audrey Feldkamp when her son, from over the upstairs banister, shot him multiple times, killing him, police said.

John Feldkamp was pronounced dead at the scene. Audrey Feldkamp, who police said had been stabbed 14 times, was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Rockford, where she was pronounced dead.

Scott Feldkamp was taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin where his condition is improving and investigators are continuing to talk with him, Nygren said.

Background on Bloom

Up until one week ago, Bloom lived in an apartment in Woodstock before moving back in with his parents in Marengo.

“He did suffer from an ongoing mental illness,” Nygren said, adding that Bloom’s parents told investigators their son would experience episodes of rage. “He was medicated and treated from the time he was a teen.”

Bloom has past convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and retail theft, as well as several traffic violations for speeding and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to the McHenry County Court public access website.

Murder Remains Under Investigation

Bloom's parents told police their son was sitting in their backyard Tuesday night when suddenly he was gone, Nygren said.

The neighborhood where Bloom was living with his parents and where the attack occurred had between 10 and 12 homes, each on five-acre lots. Bloom's parents lived about a quarter-mile away from the Feldkamps.

There were no signs of forced entry into the home. A service door that leads from the Feldkamp’s garage into the home was found unlocked, Nygren said.

How Bloom entered the home, and other details of the case, remain under investigation.