Authorities have charged three migrant teenagers in connection with the tragic stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in Chicago over the weekend. This incident has sparked significant attention as the city grapples with issues surrounding crime and immigration.
Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, aged 16, is facing charges as an adult for first-degree murder following the Sunday morning attack, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. During a detention hearing on Tuesday, a judge ordered that Rodriguez-Vasquez be held in custody as he awaits trial, underscoring the seriousness of the allegations.
In addition to Rodriguez-Vasquez, two 14-year-old boys have also been charged in connection with the crime. One faces a first-degree murder charge, while the other is charged with armed robbery. Both teenagers appeared before a juvenile court on Monday, where the judge decided to hold them in custody pending further proceedings.
Officials have confirmed that the victim had no prior connection to the suspects, highlighting the seemingly random nature of the attack, which has left the community in shock.
All three accused teenagers are reportedly from Venezuela, adding a layer of complexity to the case as it unfolds amidst ongoing discussions about migration and community safety.
All three suspects are reportedly from Venezuela.
The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that records show Rodriguez-Vazquez is believed to have crossed into the U.S. in September 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas. He was arrested and released at the time along with his mother.
Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist also said in a court filing in the stabbing case that Rodriguez-Vasquez’s contact with Texas law enforcement in 2023 was documented as an “alien inadmissibility” case.
Rodriguez-Vasquez has no prior criminal history in Illinois, according to Kleist.
Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Prosecutors said the stabbing attack happened at around 5:45 a.m. on Sunday in the Chicago Loop, where the victim was sleeping near his cat and belongings, including a skeleton mask.
A group that included Rodriguez-Vasquez and the two 14-year-olds allegedly approached the victim while Rodriguez-Vasquez had a knife hidden in his sleeve and another teenager held a metal rod, according to prosecutors.
One of the teenagers grabbed the victim’s mask and ran. When the victim stood up, Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly kicked him, prosecutors said. One of the 14-year-olds allegedly struck the victim, and Rodriguez-Vasquez is accused of stabbing him in the back, causing him to collapse.
The attack was captured on surveillance video.
DHS said records show Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez is believed to have crossed into the U.S. in September 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The victim was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death a stab wound to the back and the manner of death a homicide.
Police later detained the teenagers after spotting people on camera wearing the same clothing seen in surveillance footage. Rodriguez-Vasquez was found with a knife, and he was later identified by his mother and another member of the group.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Vasquez was seen in stills from after the incident “displaying a knife to the group, making stabbing motions, and wearing the victim’s skeleton mask on his head.”
A Chicago police source told Fox News this was an especially heinous and cruel murder of an innocent homeless man, saying that it was a “mob style” attack in which some of the suspects were laughing afterward.
