A Rogers Park man is charged with attempted murder for stabbing his friend after rumors surfaced about the victim’s sexual orientation during a night of drinking, prosecutors said.
Daryl Willis, his friend, and the friend’s girlfriend were all enjoying beverages at Willis’ home on the 7400 block of North Damen when the conversation took an unexpected turn, according to prosecutors.
“The victim’s girlfriend learned the defendant and the victim had previously been romantically involved,” an assistant state’s attorney said. The victim, age 26, became angry with 29-year-old Willis and told Willis to stop lying about his sexual orientation, according to prosecutors.
An argument broke out and Willis ordered the couple out of his house. He then grabbed a paring knife from a bedroom where the girlfriend’s three children were staying, and stabbed victim five times in the shoulders, arm, and back, prosecutors said.
Willis “indicated he was going to kill him,” until the girlfriend intervened, according to the allegations. The victim ran to a nearby establishment to get help and collapsed. Prosecutors said Willis admitted to stabbing the victim before and after police advised him of his Miranda rights.
An ambulance transported the victim to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment of stab wounds and a punctured lung. Police said they recovered a paring knife from Willis’ apartment.
Judge John John Lyke ordered Willis held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
