Note: The alleged details below are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
STREAMWOOD, Ill. (WGN) The 7-year-old brother of the Streamwood, Illinois, stabbing suspect saw his blood-covered sisters and tried to save their lives, according to documents revealed Friday.
Jalonie Jenkins, 25, was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday following the alleged deadly double stabbing of his sisters, Janiya Jenkins, 21, and Eyani Jones, 10, on May 28.
Jenkins was taken into custody Sunday night in Downers Grove near a Metra station. A manhunt ensued for him for days after his vehicle was found the next morning in Bensenville.
Court documents unveiled during a detention hearing Friday paint a harrowing picture involving the victims and the 7-year-old brother of all three.
All three were on the second floor of the home as Eyani was playing a Snapchat game with her best friend. During the game, screaming emitted from the phone after Jenkins allegedly stabbed Janiya multiple times.
The Snapchat call was abruptly disconnected after Eyani told her friend to call 911. Documents state that prior to it ending, the best friend heard Janiya reportedly beg Jenkins not to “kill the kids.”
Around this time, documents show that the 7-year-old brother of Jenkins and the victims came inside after playing outside. He walked up the stairs and saw Janiya crying and covered in blood.
Janiya told her brother to grab his niece, Janiya’s 3-year-old daughter, and leave, documents state.
He was called a disparaging name by Jenkins and was pushed down the stairs, documents allege. Jenkins then brought the boy and his niece into a main level bathroom.
The two heard “ongoing loud thumps” and overheard Eyani yelling to call 911, documents state.
Detectives found Ring camera footage and at around 7 p.m., Jenkins was seen holding multiple bags and the family dog. Documents state he fled the scene in a Lexus.
After around 20 minutes, the 7-year-old brother exited the bathroom and discovered Janiya and Eyani covered in blood.
Documents show that the little brother attempted to save his sisters by performing CPR, to no avail.
He then dressed up his 3-year-old niece in pants and shoes and went to his neighbor’s home, who is the mother of Eyani’s friend she was initially playing with on Snapchat.
The 7-year-old and the mother entered the home and called 911.
Police believe Jenkins used a kitchen knife for the alleged rampage. Eyani suffered 10 stab wounds to her neck, chest and hands. Janiya suffered 12 stab wounds, primarily to the neck.
Detectives were able to determine Jenkin’s fleeing path from license plate reading cameras, documents state.
A witness told police that that night at around 9:15 p.m. while at Redmond Park in Bensenville, Jenkins reportedly approached and asked if they would like to buy his car.
It was found abandoned the next day at the park with clothes and blood.
Prosecutors also allege that Jenkins told his girlfriend that night, via text and a call, that he was “fighting with his sisters.”
He was arrested during the late evening hours Sunday night in Downers Grove. Jenkins court date was initially scheduled earlier in the week, but he was transported to the hospital from the Streamwood Police Department on Wednesday.
Circumstances around his hospitalization have not been released, but he was healthy enough to attend a detention hearing Friday where he was held pending trial by a judge.
One of the victim’s friends, Jasmine Marshall, told affiliate WGN she knew Janiya well and described her as one of a kind.
“She was a good friend, like a friend I’ve never had,” Marshall said.
The mother of Eyani’s best friend told WGN on Monday the incident was heartbreaking.
“She was a really sweet girl,” she said. “They go to school down the street. They just got out of school last Thursday after a vacation. They were on their way to fifth grade.”
Jenkins’ next court date is scheduled for June 26.
