By Dan Rozek, The Chicago Sun-Times
Police found a stash of firearms, explosive devices and suspicious chemicals when they began searching the Aurora townhome of a truck driver and part-time male stripper suspected of strangling his wife.
The stockpiles found in Steven Aubrey’s home were so extensive that a police bomb squad spent more than six hours removing and destroying the suspected explosive devices, authorities said Monday.
Police also found “numerous” guns inside the town house, “everything from handguns to assault rifles,” Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said.
The town house remained sealed Monday while lab tests are done on chemicals, black powder and other suspicious materials found inside. Aubrey had been living there with his 25-year-old wife, Erica, who was found buried Friday in a shallow grave in rural La Salle County.
Hours earlier, her husband had opened fire on police who stopped him in Kendall County as he headed toward Aurora. After a brief gun battle, the 34-year-old Aubrey died of what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot.
Investigators wouldn’t say Monday what plans Aubrey might have had for his arsenal.
Still, the weapons found in the town house left police uneasy at the thought of what could have happened if officers hadn’t stopped Aubrey before he reached his home.
“There likely would have been more serious consequences,” Kendall County Sheriff Richard Randall said.
Aubrey’s former wife said he owned a number of weapons during their seven-year relationship, including high-powered, military-style weapons such as AK47s and AR-15s.
“He liked the assault rifles,” ex-wife Teresa Paku said Monday, adding that as far as she knows, he bought the weapons legally, primarily at gun shows.
She also said that her former husband had a “fascination” with explosive devices and boasted of knowing how to construct pipe bombs.
But Paku, who finalized her divorce from Aubrey in 2002, said she never saw him with explosives.
“He never, ever talked about blowing anything or anyone up,” said Paku. “I never, ever saw a bomb.”