Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau | Homicide Watch Chicago

Prosecutors: Fatal stabbing of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau in River North part of murder, sex fantasy

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 15:15:50 -0500

By SAM CHARLES, MITCH DUDEK and JON SEIDEL
Chicago Sun-Times

Wyndham Lathem (left) and Andrew Warren are escorted separately by police after arriving in Chicago to be interviewed by detectives early Saturday. Warren, an Oxford University financial officer, and Lathem, a former Northwestern University professor, have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau. | Jim Young/Associated Press

It began as a morbid sexual fantasy, hatched online between a pair of men working for two of the world’s most prestigious universities: Let’s kill. And then kill each other.

But the plan went sideways, ending with the gruesome death of an innocent young man, authorities allege. And, in a new twist, it led to a close call for a second person.

The gruesome details of 26-year-old Trenton Cornell-Duranleau’s demise surfaced last week when his boyfriend, 43-year-old Wyndham Lathem, who was fired by Northwestern University, joined 56-year-old Andrew Warren, of Oxford University, in front of Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

The judge listened as a prosecutor laid out the twisted tale—how Lathem allegedly paid for Warren to cross an ocean, asked him to record a murder, and then stabbed Cornell-Duranleau “over and over” with Warren until they broke a knife and nearly decapitated the cosmetologist from Michigan whose final words were, “Wyndham, what are you doing?”

When the prosecutor finished, Bourgeois ordered the two men held behind bars on murder charges, refusing them bail after their extradition from California.

“The heinous acts speak for themselves,” Bourgeois told the courtroom.

Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau, found dead in River North condo July 2017

Lathem’s attorney, Barry Sheppard, asked the public “to patiently allow the legal system to work and not to engage in any rush to judgment based on conjecture and speculation.” He said the professor of microbiology has “led a lifetime of outstanding, unblemished citizenship.”

Meanwhile, police refused to write the crime off as a traditional “domestic” squabble or “love triangle.” The motive was “a little more dark and disturbing,” Area Central Detectives Commander Brendan Deenihan said.

Warren allegedly confessed that the “sexual fantasy” had been hashed out online. The pair planned to kill multiple people and then kill each other, authorities said. In the end, Warren planned to shoot Lathem, and Lathem planned to stab Warren.

The plot was set in motion when Lathem paid for Warren’s flight from London to Chicago, then picked him up at O’Hare Airport in late July, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Natosha Toller said. Lathem also rented a room for Warren at the Hotel Palomar, not far from Lathem’s high-rise apartment in River North.

That’s where the men allegedly planned to kill Cornell-Duranleau, who lived in the Heart of the City neighborhood. Lathem allegedly lured Cornell-Duranleau to his apartment on July 26.

Then, with Cornell-Duranleau asleep in Lathem’s bed, Lathem told Warren by text “it was time to kill,” Toller said.

The pair prepped in Lathem’s bathroom, where Lathem unpackaged a new drywall knife saw with a 6-inch blade, Toller said.

Lathem allegedly gave Warren a cellphone and “told him to record the murder.” Warren stood in the doorway holding the phone, Toller said.

Then Lathem allegedly stabbed Cornell-Duranleau “over and over” in the neck and chest.

Cornell-Duranleau woke up screaming—and began to fight back. As Lathem lost control, he allegedly yelled to Warren, “Help me! Help me!”

Warren put his hands over Cornell-Duranleau’s mouth, but Cornell-Duranleau bit him. So Warren grabbed a heavy metal lamp and hit him in the head with it, Toller said.

Then Warren grabbed two kitchen knives. Moments later, Lathem and Warren knelt over Cornell-Duranleau, stabbing him with so much force that Warren “broke the blade of one of the knives,” Toller said.

The men left Cornell-Duranleau to bleed to death while they showered and cleaned up the mess, according to the prosecutor.

Area Central Detectives Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan (left), speaks during a news conference about the arrests of a former Northwestern University professor and an Oxford University employee in connection with the fatal stabbing in a River North high-rise. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Warren would later tell police they planned to kill a second person scheduled to arrive at Lathem’s apartment the next morning. But before the sun could rise, they allegedly rented a car and fled to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the men made one anonymous cash donation of $5,610 in Cornell-Duranleau’s name to the Howard Brown Health Center, and another of $1,000 to Lake Geneva’s town library. They made the second donation when they arrived at the library asking to use the phone so Lathem could call his apartment building.

Lathem asked security to check his apartment, Toller said. A crime had been committed.

The pair ultimately fled to California and surrendered on Aug. 4 in the San Francisco Bay area.

Meanwhile, police found Cornell-Duranleau lying in a pool of blood in his underwear, Toller said. When authorities tried to move his body, they realized his head was “nearly decapitated,” she said.

The Cook County medical examiner found 26 stab wounds to his back and several defensive wounds to his hands and wrists. But those were a mere fraction of his injuries.

In all, Cornell-Duranleau had been stabbed 70 times.

WEEK IN REVIEW: 14 more dead as murder total passes 400, including mother killed while walking with 4-year-old son

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 12:00:02 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Homicide Watch Chicago

Sun-Times file photo by Ashlee Rezin

At least 14 people were killed last week as Chicago passed the 400-homicide mark for the year nearly a week ahead of last year's pace, when the homicides numbers were the highest in two decades. The victims included a mother shot while walking with her young son, and a man stabbed to death in a luxury apartment, a crime which has sparked a nationwide manhunt.

When Kennatay K. Leavell was shot to death early Friday near the former Cabrini-Green public housing projects on the Near North Side, it was the city’s 400th homicide of the year.

But before the day was over, two more homicides had been reported that happened earlier, and by Aug. 1, the date when the 400th homicide of 2016 was reported, there had been at least 410 this year, according to Sun-Times data.

Add in five people shot dead by on-duty Chicago Police officers; the deaths of 10 people ruled homicides due to wounds suffered in years past; four people charged with reckless homicide over motor vehicle-involved fatalities; and a man charged with murder in a case where autopsy results are still pending, and the number grows even higher.

Of those killings, about 380 have been with guns, the data shows. Fifteen people were stabbed to death, nine were abused or assaulted, two were strangled, three were intentionally hit by vehicles, and one was forced to ingest bleach.

The total included a woman killed in a shooting that also injured her 4-year-old son and a man Friday evening in the West Side Austin neighborhood. The shooting happened at 5:19 p.m. in the 5200 block of West Kamerling, police said. Nikia Betts, 28, was walking down an alley with her son and the man when shots rang out, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. She was shot in the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she died at 5:54 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The boy and 19-year-old man were both shot in the arm, police said. They were taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

And in River North, a 26-year-old man was found stabbed to death Thursday night, and a manhunt is on for two suspects, including a Northwestern University professor. Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau was found with multiple lacerations about 8:30 p.m. inside an apartment in the Grand Plaza Apartments in the 500 block of North State Street, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene, which police sources called "gruesome," with blood spattered across the room where the victim was found "mutilated."

Days later, a Cook County judge issued murder warrants for NU associate professor Wyndham Lathem, who lived in the apartment where the body was found; and Andrew Warren, 56, a bursar at Oxford University’s Somerville College in England. Police believe the pair fled Illinois, but their passports have been flagged by the State Department, and the U.S. Marshal Service has joined the search.

The week's final homicide was a man was found shot to death Sunday afternoon in the Longwood Manor neighborhood on the Far South Side. Demetrius Miller, 20, was found unresponsive about 4:30 p.m. in the backyard of a home in the 9800 block of South Peoria, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Miller had a gunshot wound to the back and was pronounced at the scene. He lived in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.
A person was killed and two others wounded in a Marquette Park neighborhood shooting late Friday on the Southwest Side. At 10:50 p.m., the three were standing in the 2500 block of West Lithuanian Plaza Court when shots rang out. Eugene Winters, 18, was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 11:32 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived near the shooting scene. A 33-year-old woman grazed in the head was taken to the same hospital in serious condition, along with a 34-year-old man shot multiple times in the left shoulder. His condition was stabilized, police said.
One man was killed and another wounded in a North Lawndale neighborhood shooting Friday afternoon. At 12:07 p.m., Dominick Black and another man were standing on the sidewalk in the 1500 block of South St. Louis when an SUV approached, and multiple people got out and opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The men, both 24 years old, were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said. Black, whose home address was unknown, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and legs, and was pronounced dead at 6:51 p.m. The other man was shot in the foot and wrist, and his condition was stabilized.
A 23-year-old man was shot to death Friday morning in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side. The shooting happened at 9:44 a.m. in the 200 block of West 107th Street, according to police. Richard Harrison, who lived nearby, was shot in the head, arm and shoulder; and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m.
Leavell was shot to death early Friday near the former Cabrini-Green public housing projects on the Near North Side. Just before 3 a.m., two men were in the 500 block of West Iowa when the 31-year-old was shot multiple times in the face, and a 34-year-old man was shot repeatedly in the abdomen, police and the medical examiner’s office said. The older man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Leavell died at the scene. He lived in the North Side Rogers Park neighborhood.
A man was killed in a shooting that left four other people wounded Thursday night in the South Shore neighborhood. They were standing on the sidewalk at 10:38 p.m. in the 2000 block of East 71st Street when someone inside a tan minivan fired shots, according to police. Zaire Benjamin, 18, was shot in the head and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died at 11:49 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in South Shore. A 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and groin, and was also taken to Northwestern, where he was in critical condition, police said. Two 21-year-olds took themselves to Jackson Park Hospital, one with a gunshot wound to the buttocks and the other shot in his left leg, police said. Both their conditions had stabilized. The fifth victim, an 18-year-old man, was shot in his left wrist and was taken to Trinity Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
A 58-year-old man died Thursday of injuries suffered in a fight the night before in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. Gregory Jackson was in a physical altercation Wednesday night in the 1500 block of West 63rd Street, and suffered blunt trauma to the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Police did not know who he was fighting with. Jackson was found unresponsive in bed the next morning, and pronounced dead at 9:40 a.m., authorities said. An autopsy Friday found he died of subdural hematoma and multiple blunt force traumatic injuries.
Bond was set at $2 million for a woman charged with stabbing a 55-year-old man to death early Thursday in Lawndale. Darrel Wilson was stabbed in the left side of his chest at 1:36 a.m. in the 1500 block of South Millard, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Wilson, who lived on the same block, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. Carol Matthews, 56, was taken into custody and charged with one felony count of first-degree murder, police said. A knife was recovered at the scene.
A 40-year-old man was shot to death Tuesday night in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Glen Ingram was standing on the sidewalk at 9:37 p.m. in the 7800 block of South Carpenter when someone in a white SUV fired shots, striking him in the back, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Ingram, who lived on the same block, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
A 26-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday afternoon in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood. Sydney Caldwell was in a vehicle about 4:30 p.m. in the 4700 block of West Maple when people approached on foot and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Caldwell was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 5:04 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the West Side Austin neighborhood.
A south suburban man was killed and a woman wounded Monday night in a Park Manor neighborhood shooting on the South Side. The pair were standing about 10:20 p.m. in the 7100 block of South Rhodes when a silver Nissan Altima pulled up and three males got out and opened fire, according to police. Darius Gavin, 20, of Riverdale, suffered a gunshot wound to the head; and the woman, believed to be between 20 and 30, was shot in both legs, police and the medical examiner’s office said. Both were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Gavin was pronounced dead, and the woman’s condition was stabilized.
A man was fatally shot in the head while standing on a porch Monday night in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. Dayvy Rivas, 43, was on the porch of a home in the 300 block of North Lorel about 11:10 p.m. when three people came out of a gangway and started fighting, police and the medical examiner’s office said. During the fight, one of the people involved took out a gun and shot Rivas, who remained on the porch, authorities said. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Rivas lived in the Northwest Side Belmont Cragin neighborhood.
One man was killed and another wounded in a shooting Monday evening in the Southwest Side Chicago Lawn neighborhood. The men were driving south in the 2600 block of West 63rd Street at 10:10 p.m. when someone walked up to their vehicle and opened fire, according to police. Diego Sandoval, 21 , was pronounced dead at Holy Cross Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office. Police said Sandoval, who lived just a couple of blocks away, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Another bullet grazed a 26-year-old man in the chest, and his condition was stabilized at Holy Cross.

Nationwide manhunt on for two, including Northwestern professor, for murder of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 12:00:00 -0500

By JORDAN OWEN and ANDY GRIMM
Chicago Sun-Times

Wyndham Lathem (left) and Andrew Warren | Chicago Police

Just days after a 26-year-old Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau was found stabbed to death inside Northwestern University professor Wyndham Lathem’s luxe River North apartment, a nationwide manhunt for the microbiologist has begun.

A Cook County judge on Monday issued arrest warrants for Lathem, 42; and Andrew Warren, 56, a payroll assistant at Oxford University’s Somerville College in England, for the murder of Cornell-Duranleau on July 27.

On Wednesday, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said detectives believe the pair have fled Illinois, but their passports have been flagged by the State Department, and the U.S. Marshal Service has joined the search.

“The search for them will only intensify,” Guglielmi said. “They should do the right thing and turn themselves in to any police station. It’s only a matter of time.”

Police had been looking for Lathem soon after Cornell-Duranleau was found dead inside the professor’s flat in the Grand Plaza Apartments at 540 N. State around 8:30 p.m., when police responded to a request for a wellness check. Lathem is listed as the registered owner of the apartment, which sits just over a mile from his office in Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Guglielmi said.

Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau | Facebook

Lathem and Cornell-Duranleau appear to have lived together at the River North apartment, Guglielmi said. The connection to Warren, an employee of a college within the Oxford University system, is not known.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Cornell-Duranleau died of multiple stab wounds and ruled the death a homicide.

A notice emailed last week to Grand Plaza residents by building managers after Cornell-Duranleau’s body was discovered said that Chicago Police were investigating “a variety of motives, including a possible domestic incident.”

The murder is the first in the River North police beat that covers the 500 block of North State since at least 2001, according to the Chicago Police crime database.

Lathem is an associate professor of microbiology and immunology, and primarily works as a researcher and seldom interacted with students. Lathem was placed on administrative leave and is barred from campus, Northwestern spokesman Alan Cubbage said.

Cornell-Duranleau had graduated from cosmetology school in Michigan, and had moved to Chicago fairly recently. His address was a small, worn-looking apartment building in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood, and neighbors said he was quiet and kept to himself.

“I don’t know much about him, but what I’ve heard about what happened, shouldn’t happen to anybody,” said a neighbor who had lived in the building for about a year. “He deserves justice. I’m glad they think they know who did it.”

In an obituary posted on her Facebook page, his mother, Mischelle Duranleau, said he was born in the small town of Lennon, Michigan, and loved animals, music, cars and video games. His biological mother died when he was young, and he was adopted by Duranleau and raised among a large family of adopted siblings.

“His enthusiasm for life was infectious. Trenton was a caregiver and loved to help others,” Duranleau wrote.

His funeral will be held on Aug. 12 in Lennon. A brief death notice in the local newspaper noted that Cornell-Duranleau “died suddenly” on July 27.

Lathem had worked at Northwestern since 2007.

“There is no indication of any risk to the Northwestern community from this individual at this time,” Cubbage said in an emailed statement.

By Wednesday morning, the school had removed his profile page and numerous press releases about his research.

The website for Oxford’s Somerville College listed Warren as a “senior treasury assistant.” A college spokesman said the school was not aware of the investigation, but that officials there would “liaise” with investigators.

In a post on Facebook, the Cornell-Duranleau family wrote: "Our Family is deeply saddened by the death of our son. It is our hope that the person or persons responsible for his death are brought to justice. We are asking that you allow our family to process and grieve this tragedy PRIVATELY. We are asking all media outlets to not contact our family, friends or associates. When we have had sufficient time to morn our child’s passing, we will release a more in depth statement if we believe it is appropriate to do so."

Trenton Cornell-Duranleau found stabbed to death inside apartment building in River North

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 12:39:33 -0500

Hair stylist Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau was found stabbed to death Thursday night in a River North apartment.

A man was found stabbed to death in an apartment at the Grand Plaza in River North on Thursday night. | Google Maps

The 26-year-old Cornell-Duranleau was found with multiple lacerations about 8:30 p.m. inside an apartment in the Grand Plaza Apartments in the 500 block of North State Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:05 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the Pilsen neighborhood.

An autopsy Thursday found he died of multiple sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Cornell-Duranleau was a native of Michigan and a licensed cosmetologist. He had worked as a hair stylist for 26 years.

His family issued the following statement: "Our Family is deeply saddened by the death of our son. It is our hope that the person or persons responsible for his death are brought to justice. We are asking that you allow our family to process and grieve this tragedy PRIVATELY. We are asking all media outlets to not contact our family, friends or associates. When we have had sufficient time to morn our child’s passing, we will release a more in depth statement if we believe it is appropriate to do so."

According to a letter sent to tenants by building management, police conducted a sweep of the building after finding the victim and “there is no information to suggest a security concern for the building.”

It said police are “exploring a variety of motives, including a possible domestic incident.”

No one was in custody as of Monday morning.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire