Three teenage migrants from Venezuela have been charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in downtown Chicago. Authorities said the attack occurred early Sunday morning in the Loop district.
One of the teens, 16-year-old Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder. Two 14-year-olds are also facing charges, including first-degree murder and armed robbery. Court filings state that Rodriguez-Vasquez stabbed the victim in the back after the group confronted him. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the incident.
The victim was found unresponsive near his belongings and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
Officials said the suspects are migrants from Venezuela. Rodriguez-Vasquez reportedly entered the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023.
Rodriguez-Vasquez is being held pretrial by a Cook County judge, while the two younger suspects are in juvenile custody. Chicago police described the incident as a violent attack in which at least one suspect carried a knife and another allegedly carried a metal rod.
