3 migrant teens charged in fatal stabbing of homeless man in Chicago
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Three immigrant teenagers have been charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in Chicago over the weekend, according to authorities.
Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in connection with the incident that occurred Sunday morning, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He appeared at a detention hearing on Tuesday, where the judge ordered him held pre-trial.
Two 14-year-olds were also charged; One was charged with first-degree murder and the other with armed robbery. The two 14-year-olds appeared in juvenile court Monday and were ordered detained.
Authorities said the victim did not know any of the suspects.
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Three young immigrants have been charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in Chicago over the weekend. (Getty Images)
All three suspects are reportedly Venezuelan.
The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that records show Rodriguez-Vazquez is believed to have crossed into the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023. At that time, he and his mother were arrested and released.
Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist said in a court filing in the stabbing case that Rodriguez-Vasquez’s contact with Texas law enforcement in 2023 was documented as a case of “alien inadmissibility.”
Rodriguez-Vasquez has no criminal history in Illinois, according to Kleist.
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Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The stabbing happened around 5:45 a.m. Sunday in the Chicago Loop, with the victim sleeping next to his cat and belongings, including a skeleton mask, prosecutors said.
A group of boys, including Rodriguez-Vasquez and two 14-year-old boys, allegedly approached the victim, with Rodriguez-Vasquez holding a knife hidden in his arm and another teenager holding a metal bar, according to prosecutors.
One of the youths grabbed the victim’s mask and ran away. When the victim stood up, Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly kicked him, prosecutors said. While one of the 14-year-old boys allegedly hit the victim, Rodriguez-Vasquez is accused of stabbing him in the back, causing him to collapse.
The attack was captured on security camera.
DHS said records show Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez is believed to have crossed into the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It was determined that the injured person, who was taken to the hospital, died. The coroner decided that the cause of death was a stab wound in the back and the manner of death was murder.
Police later detained the young people after noticing people wearing the same clothes seen in the camera footage. Rodriguez-Vasquez was found with a knife and was later identified by his mother and another member of the group.
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Prosecutors said that in photos after the incident, Rodriguez-Vasquez “showed the group a knife, made stabbing movements, and placed the victim’s skeleton mask on his head.”
A Chicago police source told Fox News it was a particularly heinous and brutal murder of an innocent homeless man, describing it as a “mob-style” attack that some suspects later laughed at.
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern and Mathew Finn contributed to this report.
