Chicago — Prosecutors on Friday said a Chicago man killed his roommate with a knife and hammer last month, then hid her body in their apartment, and moved into a motel.
Nore Flemings, 19, who had a felony burglary case pending in juvenile court at the time of the alleged murder, is the first person accused of killing someone in Chicago this year while having a felony case pending. He has been adjudicated delinquent four times as a juvenile: for unlawful possession of a handgun, criminal trespass to a vehicle, deceptive practice, and retail theft.
Prosecutors said Flemings knew the 21-year-old victim from high school and moved into her apartment early this year. Neighbors heard a woman screaming and loud noises coming from the unit between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on January 20, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord said during Flemings’ bail hearing Friday.
At around 3 a.m., Flemings allegedly messaged a friend and asked them to order an Uber to pick him up outside the apartment in the 11100 block of South Vernon because he had a fight with his roommate and could not stay there anymore.
The Uber driver picked him up around 5:30 a.m. and drove him to several motels in suburban Lansing until they found an available room. McCord said the Uber driver presented his own driver’s license to secure the room because Flemings told him he was homeless. Flemings then paid for the lodging in cash.
Police found the woman’s body hidden under a pile of clothing between the bed and a wall after she failed to show up for work and co-workers asked police to check on her, McCord said. Bleach had been poured on some items in the apartment.
Location data from the woman’s missing phone showed it tracked along with Flemings’ travels after the murder, and its last ping came from near the Lansing motel, said McCord.
The woman suffered 45 stab wounds, primarily to her back, and was also beaten with a blunt object that the medical examiner said may have been a hammer.
Investigators found a bloody hammer and serrated kitchen knife in an alley near the apartment, along with clothing that police allegedly linked to Flemings. DNA testing on those items is pending.
Flemings allegedly admitted stabbing the woman, but he told detectives he acted in self-defense.
Flemings is charged with first-degree murder, murder during the commission of another forcible felony, robbery, and concealing a homicidal death. Judge William Fahy ordered him held without bail.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data.
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