CHICAGO — A Chicago man told police that he fatally stabbed a man in an Irving Park alley because he felt threatened by a plastic fork the man was holding, prosecutors said.
Daniel Macias, 28, was held without bail on a charge of first-degree murder by Judge David Kelly on Thursday afternoon.
Surveillance video showed Macias leaving his home wearing Beats-brand headphones around 9:45 p.m. on June 28 and entering an alley behind the 3600 block of North Kedzie about 15 minutes later, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord told the judge.
Macias began following the unidentified victim and took a knife from a sheath as he caught up with the man, McCord continued. The victim, 47, reached into his backpack and removed a plastic fork as Macias walked next to him with the knife in his hand.
McCord said Macias lunged at the man, stabbing him once, and the victim swung a backpack to fend Macias off. But Macias allegedly stabbed him two more times, then fell to the ground, causing his Beats headphones to fall off.
As Macias followed the fleeing victim, they crossed paths with a witness who called 911. The victim, who suffered five stab wounds, later died.
Investigators found a broken plastic fork and a pair of Beats headphones near a pool of blood in the alley. McCord said Macias told police that he was following the man because he wanted to talk with him, but she did not explain what relationship the men had, if any.
Macias’ defense attorney said he is starting his own AI company. She suggested that mental health conditions may have played a role in the incident.