Homicide Watch Chicago

Matabias Biles was stabbed to death Tuesday evening in what police called a domestic incident in the Homan Square neighborhood on the West Side.

The 34-year-old was stabbed in the face and chest about 7:40 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Flournoy, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Biles, who lived on the same block as the attack, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:57 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said.

Police said the stabbing was domestic-related, but no one had been taken into custody as of Wednesday morning as Area North detectives conduct a homicide investigation.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JORDAN OWEN and MITCHELL ARMENTROUT
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Breanna Patterson | Chicago Police

Patterson, 20, is being held on a $1 million bond after being charged with first-degree murder and home invasion with discharge of a firearm, according to police.

Patterson and the 29-year-old Charles Smith knocked on the door of the home in the 7300 block of South Paulina about 4 a.m. Sunday because they thought someone in the home knew who had robbed them about three weeks earlier, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. Smith was armed with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

A 22-year-old woman answered the door and Patterson began screaming at her, telling her she had been robbed and she knew the woman knew something about it, prosecutors said. The woman tried to tell Smith and Patterson that she didn’t know what they were talking about, but Patterson became more agitated.
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A woman fatally shot Reginald Brown when he broke into her home and began to beat her early Sunday in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side.

About 5:15 a.m., the 30-year-old Brown broke into a home in the 400 block of East 62nd Street and began to beat the woman who lived there, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The 28-year-old woman was able to grab a handgun and shot Brown to death during the struggle, authorities said.

Brown, of the 400 block of North Springfield, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:35 a.m. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Police said the woman knew him and the incident was domestic-related.

The woman has a valid FOID card and no charges are expected to be filed in the shooting.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By SIMONE ALICEA
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Surveillance footage of two people suspected in a fatal stabbing in River North in 2014. | Chicago Police

Detectives want to question two black males who were last seen in a maroon Dodge Intrepid for the stabbing that left the 29-year-old Jefferson dead, according to Chicago Police.

Jefferson was stabbed in the back multiple times about 2:20 a.m. Nov. 9, 2014, in the 800 block of North Orleans, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Jefferson, of the 7200 block of South Vincennes Avenue, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital shortly after officers found him.

Anyone with information should call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8380.

By MITCHELL ARMENTROUT and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Breanna Patterson | Chicago Police

Breanna Patterson, 20, was charged with first-degree murder and home invasion with discharge of a firearm, according to police.

Patterson and Clark allegedly broke into a home in the 7300 block of South Paulina about 4:40 a.m., authorities said.

Englewood District officers responded to calls of a home invasion and were met by an “armed offender” who opened fire, police said. One or more of the officers shot back, police said.
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Paul C. Sappington was shot to death Monday morning when he answered the door of him home in the South Side Washington Heights neighborhood.

Sappington, 31, answered the door in the 9000 block of South May about 10:15 a.m. and was shot by two male suspects who were dressed as utility workers, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Sappington, a graduate of Bogan High School who worked as a barber, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:38 a.m., authorities said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least 21 people died from violence last week in Chicago, as shooting and murder totals continue to soar in the new year. One of the fatal shootings may be ruled self-defense after a man was killed while allegedly breaking into a home and attacking a woman. ANother man was also shot, this time by Chicago Police, while allegedly committing a home invasion, leading to murder charges against an accomplice..

January ended with a marked spike in Chicago gun violence compared to a year ago, with more than double the number of shootings and a 75 percent uptick in murders, according to statistics released by Chicago Police on Monday.

The city logged 292 gunshot victims in 242 separate shooting incidents from Jan. 1-31, police said. That’s an increase from 136 victims in 119 shootings during the same period last year.

Police also reported 51 murders so far this year, a jump from 29 last January. Detectives have solved 14 murders, including eight from 2016 and six from prior years, police said.

One of this week’s murders may have been justified, according to police. A woman fatally shot a man who broke into her home and beat her early Sunday in Woodlawn.

About 5:15 a.m., Reginald Brown broke into the home in the 400 block of East 62nd Street and began to beat the woman who lived there, according to police. The 28-year-old woman was able to grab a handgun and shot the man to death during the struggle.

Brown, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:35 a.m. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police said the woman knew the man and the incident was domestic-related. The woman has a valid FOID card and no charges were expected to be filed in the shooting.

A man and teenage boy were found with gunshot wounds in a vehicle that had crashed early Sunday in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. The vehicle was northbound in the 3700 block of North California about 5:15 a.m. when it struck a planter, according to police.
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Alan Garcia and Roberto Sanchez were found suffering gunshot wounds after a vehicle crashed early Sunday in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side, and both their deaths have been ruled homicides.

The vehicle was northbound in the 3700 block of North California about 5:15 a.m. when it struck a planter, according to Chicago Police.

The driver, identified as the 21-year-old Garcia; and a 16-year-old passenger identified as Sanchez, were both taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Both had suffered gunshot wounds in addition to injuries caused by the crash.

Garcia, of National City, California, was pronounced dead at Masonic at 5:43 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.

Sanchez, of the 2900 block of North Elston, was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:02 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found he died of blunt force injuries to the torso from the crash, with multiple gunshot wounds listed as a contributing factor. His death was also ruled a homicide.

Area North detectives are investigating.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A man who was killed in a shooting in the West Side Austin neighborhood Friday evening has been identified as Martice White.

The 20-year-old White was standing outside in the 5100 block of West Division at 6:21 p.m. when someone walked up behind him and opened fire, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The shooter then ran away.

White suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 5000 block of West Concord Place.

An autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

DeMorrow Stephens was found shot to death in the West Garfield Park neighborhood early Saturday.

Officers responding to a call of shots fired about 2:55 a.m. in the 0–100 block of North Kilbourn found the 26-year-old lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds, according to Chicago Police.

Stephens was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:12 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 900 block of North Waller.

An autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire