The Cook County State's Attorney’s Office charged three teenagers after a 49-year-old homeless man was fatally stabbed in Chicago’s Loop. Sixteen-year-old Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez faces first-degree murder as an adult; two 14-year-olds face juvenile charges. Surveillance footage allegedly shows the group approaching the sleeping victim, one teen taking his skeleton mask and Rodriguez-Vasquez stabbing him in the back. DHS records indicate Rodriguez-Vasquez crossed the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023; the investigation is ongoing.
Three Teenagers Charged After Fatal Stabbing of Homeless Man in Chicago’s Loop
Chicago prosecutors have charged three teenagers in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man found in the Loop early Sunday morning.
Sixteen-year-old Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez has been booked as an adult on a first-degree murder charge and was ordered held pre-trial at a detention hearing. Two 14-year-old boys were also charged — one with first-degree murder and the other with armed robbery — and were ordered held in juvenile custody.
Authorities say the victim, who was sleeping with his cat and personal belongings, including a skeleton mask, did not know the suspects. Surveillance footage reviewed by prosecutors allegedly shows a group that included Rodriguez-Vasquez and the two younger teens approach the sleeping man at about 5:45 a.m. Prosecutors say Rodriguez-Vasquez had a knife concealed in his sleeve while another juvenile carried a metal rod.
Charging documents state that one of the teens grabbed the victim’s skeleton mask and ran. When the victim rose, Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly kicked him, another teen struck him, and Rodriguez-Vasquez stabbed the man in the back, causing him to collapse. The assault was captured on video. The victim was taken to a hospital, where the Cook County medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a stab wound to the back and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
Police later identified and detained the teenagers after matching clothing seen on surveillance footage with people in other camera images. Officers say Rodriguez-Vasquez was found in possession of a knife and was identified by his mother and another member of the group. Prosecutors add that still images taken after the incident show Rodriguez-Vasquez displaying the knife, making stabbing motions and wearing the victim’s skeleton mask.
Federal Department of Homeland Security records indicate Rodriguez-Vasquez is believed to have crossed into the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023; those records show he and his mother were arrested and released at that time, and the contact was documented as an "alien inadmissibility" matter. Prosecutors also say Rodriguez-Vasquez has no prior criminal history in Illinois.
A Chicago police source described the killing as an especially cruel, "mob-style" attack and said some suspects were laughing after the assault. The case remains under investigation as prosecutors prepare formal charges through the Cook County court system.
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