Raymond Boyle | Homicide Watch Chicago

Pair pleads guilty to role in fatal stabbing of Angelica Escamilla during 2015 brawl in Lincoln Square

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 15:47:50 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN and JACOB WITTICH
Chicago Sun-Times

Raymond Boyle (left) and Dalton Stropes | Cook County Sheriff's Dept.

Two men pleaded guilty Monday and were sentenced to eight years in prison for their roles in a 2015 stabbing that left 20-year-old Angelica Escamilla dead after a brawl in Lincoln Square.

Raymond Boyle, 23, and Dalton Stropes, 22, both pleaded guilty second degree murder for the June 29, 2015, fatal stabbing, according to Cook County court records. They were initially charged with murder, mob action, and aggravated battery with a weapon, all felonies, but accepted a plea deal with the 8-year sentences.

Boyle allegedly enlisted his friends, Stropes and Escamilla, to help lure a 19-year-old man he feuded with over Facebook into an alley in the 2100 block of West Windsor Avenue in Lincoln Square so they could beat him, according to prosecutors.

Boyle allegedly approached their target in the street, and Escamilla and Stropes emerged once they ended up in the alley, prosecutors said during a previous court hearing.

The man who was cornered took out a 2-inch pocketknife to scare them but put it away, prosecutors said. Escamilla then punched the man, and Boyle and Stropes followed.

The man who was being attacked backed into a pole, removed the knife from his boot and stabbed Escamilla in the chest, Quinn said. He also stabbed Boyle and Stropes before escaping and calling 911.

A neighbor saw some of the fight as she pulled into her garage and saw two people run past her home, Quinn said. She also saw Escamilla lying on the ground bleeding, and stayed with her until police arrived.

Boyle eventually returned to the alley with his fiancée, who had stopped at a nearby library to use the restroom during the brawl, prosecutors said. She apparently heard her friends discussing the attack before she went into the library, and saw Boyle running with blood on his face when she came out.

Boyle tried to explain what happened, but then ran away before police arrived, leaving the neighbor and his fiancée applying pressure to Escamilla’s wound.

The man who had been beaten was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment, authorities said. He suffered contusions to the head and ribs, a sprained knee, bruised neck, bite mark to his back, and chipped front tooth.

Boyle had cuts to his face and refused treatment at Swedish Covenant Hospital. Stropes suffered multiple stab wounds to his right bicep, left nipple and upper back, authorities said. He was treated at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Boyle and Stropes were charged with Escamilla’s murder because she was killed while they were committing felonies — aggravated battery and mob action, authorities said.

They accepted a plea deal on Monday in front of Cook County Judge Carole Howard, according to court records. They were each sentenced to eight years and credited more than two years they served in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial.

Stropes also pleaded guilty to attacking a correctional officer, according to court records. He was sentenced to an additional year and a half in prison.

Angelica Escamilla and men charged with her murder ambushed another man: prosecutors

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 17:47:36 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Raymond Boyle | Chicago Police

Raymond Boyle allegedly enlisted a pair of friends to help lure a man he’d feuded with on Facebook to a Lincoln Square alley and beat him.

When the fight was over late Monday afternoon, Boyle’s cohort, 20-year-old Angelica Escamilla, was dead, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.

Boyle and his other pal, Dalton Stropes, were also injured, as was their teenage prey, who police determined stabbed Escamilla in self-defense, Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn said Thursday.

Boyle, 21; and Stropes, 20, were charged with Escamilla’s murder because she was killed while they were committing felonies—aggravated battery and engaging in mob action, authorities said.

Escamilla had repeatedly punched the trio’s 19-year-old target during the brawl in the 2100 block of West Windsor Avenue, Quinn said. She also allegedly got into the man’s face and threatened to “beat his ass.”

Boyle had first approached his enemy in the street. Once they ended up in the alley, Escamilla and Stropes emerged, Quinn said.

The man who was cornered by the other three took out a 2-inch pocketknife to scare the others, but put it away, Quinn said. Escamilla then threw the first punch. Boyle and Stropes followed, punching and beating the man with Escamilla’s help, Quinn said.

When the man who was being attacked was backed into a pole, he removed the knife from his boot and stabbed Escamilla in the chest, Quinn said. The man also stabbed the two others before he was able to escape and call 911, Quinn said.

A neighbor, who saw some of the fight as she pulled into her garage, glimpsed two people run past her home. She also saw Escamilla lying on the ground bleeding and stayed with her until police arrived, Quinn said.

Boyle eventually came back to the alley with his fiancee, who had gone to a nearby library to use the restroom during the deadly brawl, Quinn said. Boyle’s fiancee had heard her friends discuss fighting the 19-year-old man before she went into the library, Quinn said. When she came out of the building, she saw Boyle running with blood all over his face, Quinn said.

Boyle had explained to her what happened as Escamilla tried to cling to life. But he ran away before police came, leaving the neighbor and his fiancee to put pressure on Escamilla’s wound, Quinn said.

The man who was beaten by Boyle, Escamilla and Stropes had told police what happened and where he was. Authorities took him to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston.

He suffered contusions to the head and ribs, a sprained knee, bruised neck, bite mark to his back and chipped front tooth, Quinn said.

Boyle, of the 1500 block of North Pulaski Road, refused treatment at Swedish Covenant Hospital, but he had cuts to his face.

Stropes, of the 2000 block of West Arthur Avenue, suffered multiple stab wounds to his right bicep, left nipple and upper back. He remained hospitalized Thursday at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center with a punctured lung, a Chicago Police officer told Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.

Bourgeois ordered Stropes—who is on supervision for a trespass case and probation for an aggravated battery case in Peoria County—held without bond Thursday.

Boyle was ordered held on $1 million. He allegedly admitted luring and beating his rival in the alley, Quinn said.

An assistant public defender said Boyle is expecting a child.

Two men charged with fatal stabbing of Angelica Escamilla during Lincoln Square brawl

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 11:35:54 -0500

By REEMA AMIN and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Two men have been charged with a stabbing that left 20-year-old woman Angelica Escamilla dead and a 19-year-old man hurt during a melee Monday afternoon in the North Side Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Raymond Boyle, 21; and Dalton Stropes, 20, are each charged with two counts of murder, one count of mob action, and one count of aggravated battery with a weapon, all felonies, according to Chicago Police.

The fight happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday in the 2100 block of West Windsor, police said. One of the men, armed with a knife, stabbed Escamilla, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A 19-year-old man was also beaten.

Raymond Boyle | Chicago Police

Escamilla, of the 4200 block of North Lincoln, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy found she died of a stab wound to the chest and her death was ruled a homicide.

Police initially said the attack was domestic-related. No motive was provided Thursday morning.

Boyle, of the 1500 block of North Pulaski; and Stropes, of the 2000 block of West Arthur, are scheduled to appear in bond court Thursday.