Defendants in two recent Chicago crime stories—brothers accused in a series of rapes spanning 11 years and a man charged with murder after his elderly robbery victim died—have connections to our neighborhood, court records show.
Serial Rapist
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| Leondo Joseph (Cook Co. Sheriff’s Office) |
Leondo Joseph, 38, is charged with six counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of kidnapping after long-delayed DNA testing connected him with a series of rapes committed since 2003.
Three of the attacks took place in Wrigleyville and nearby Lakeview. Prosecutors say:
• On May 23, 2010, Joseph entered an apartment in the 900 block of George through an open window and hid in a closet before sexually assaulting a woman who lived there.
• On December 19, 2004, less than a block from Wrigley Field, Joseph forced a woman into her apartment at knifepoint and then repeatedly raped her while wearing a ski mask. He then tied the woman up and stole her Christmas presents.
• On August 6, 2003, a Lakeview woman who had enjoyed an evening on the town encountered Joseph outside of her building in the 3900 block of Janssen. When Joseph put his foot in her apartment door to prevent it from closing, the woman allowed him inside for a drink. He refused to leave, became physical, and raped the woman. It was Joseph’s 27th birthday.
Joseph is charged in three other sexual assaults in other areas of the city. His younger brother, LB, is accused of participating in two of those rapes. Both are held without bail.
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| Entrance to the Anixter Center at 2537 N. Halsted. (CWB Reader) |
Notably, the Joseph brothers were arrested at an address that they list as their home: Anixter Center at 2537 N. Halsted, a 14-unit publicly-subsidized housing facility that, according to federal guidelines, is supposed to provide supportive housing for elderly persons with disabilities.
No one named Joseph is listed on the building’s directory and it is not clear how the Joseph brothers came to make Anixter Center their home. In April, Leondo Joseph was arrested for stealing $500 cash at the Anixter Center—from his brother, LB.
It is not uncommon for criminals to dwell in publicly-funded senior and specialized housing developments. In May, a 30-year-old man who lived in a nearby CHA retirement center was charged with three counts of aggravated battery after he allegedly struck three women in their heads with blunt objects over the course of several days in Lakeview and Lincoln Park.
Hairdresser Charged With Murder
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| Higgins (Cook Co. Sheriff’s Office) |
Samuel “Nyah” Higgins, a 29-year-old hairdresser and client at Boystown service agencies, was charged with murder this weekend after an 88-year-old man died from head injuries suffered in a street robbery that prosecutors say Higgins participated in. The attack was captured on video.
The elderly man was pushed and fell to the ground during the robbery, hitting his head on a sidewalk in the 8500 block of S. Cottage Grove Avenue. He died of his head injuries three days later.
Higgins, who identifies as a female, served as look-out during the robbery, prosecutors say. Bail is set at $1 million.
She has a long rap sheet, dominated by prostitution and criminal trespass to vehicle (CTTV) charges. One of those CTTV charges stemmed from an incident outside of Circuit nightclub on the Halsted strip in May 2007. Higgins was also charged with eight counts of forgery originating at a now-defunct hair salon in the 1100 block of Belmont in December 2003.
