A 16-year-old is charged as an adult with first-degree murder; two 14-year-olds face juvenile counts after the pre-dawn attack near Wabash Avenue.
CHICAGO — Three teenagers have been charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old man sleeping in a downtown alcove early Sunday, authorities said, an attack that unfolded steps from South Wabash Avenue and led to a detention order for the oldest suspect on Tuesday.
The case has moved quickly through early court hearings and police review of city camera footage. Prosecutors say the teens approached the man, who was experiencing homelessness, shortly before sunrise. Within minutes, the encounter turned violent and ended with a single stab wound to the back. The victim was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The 16-year-old, identified in court as Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, faces first-degree murder and mob action as an adult. Two 14-year-old boys face juvenile counts — one of first-degree murder, the other of armed robbery — in connection with the same incident. A judge ordered Rodriguez-Vasquez held pending trial, citing the nature of the attack and ongoing public safety concerns.
Shortly after 5:45 a.m. Sunday, a group of youths walked along the 200 block of South Wabash Avenue, near Adams Street, where the victim was lying in a recessed doorway with his belongings, including a pet cat and a Halloween-style skeleton mask, according to prosecutors. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows one teen grabbing the mask and running. Another teen is seen holding a metal rod. Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Vasquez kicked the man from behind and then “stabbed down” once, striking his back. “This was completely senseless. There was no reason for you to do what you did,” the judge said from the bench at Tuesday’s hearing while ordering Rodriguez-Vasquez to remain in custody. A passerby later found the victim unresponsive. He was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead. Police initially detained several people Sunday afternoon after pod cameras flagged individuals in similar clothing, and officers recovered a knife during a search.
Authorities said the group fled south after the stabbing and boarded a Red Line train at Monroe, later transferring near the Cermak area. By about 4 p.m. Sunday, officers monitoring camera feeds spotted multiple people matching the suspects’ descriptions near the 2600 block of West Cermak Road and detained them at the Western station on the Pink Line. Investigators said still images taken from surveillance footage show Rodriguez-Vasquez displaying a knife, making stabbing motions and, at one point, wearing the victim’s skeleton mask on his head. In court, Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist described the episode as a “random violent killing” of a man who did not know his attackers. The victim’s name had not been publicly released as of Wednesday. Prosecutors told the court the 16-year-old has no prior arrests in Illinois; records note earlier law enforcement contact in Texas in 2023 unrelated to this case. Defense attorneys asked for electronic monitoring, noting the teen’s age and personal circumstances, but the judge denied the request.
Police said the encounter began with theft of the mask and escalated when the victim stood up. One 14-year-old allegedly struck him with the metal rod while Rodriguez-Vasquez delivered the single stab wound that proved fatal, according to the charging narrative. In addition to the knife recovered on the 16-year-old during a custodial search, officers documented items left at the scene alongside the victim’s belongings, including a shopping cart and tools. Detectives are reviewing add