CHICAGO — A North Side man fatally stabbed his wife while their young children were in the next room and then tried to convince the children to lie to authorities about what happened, prosecutors said Tuesday. Chicago police officers had been to the family’s home for domestic-related matters three times since November, including on the day before the murder occurred.
Officers responded to the family’s home in the 2700 block of West Balmoral around 11:25 p.m. Saturday, April 12, after a 12-year-old girl called 911 to report that her father had stabbed her mom, according to dispatch records.
Police and fire department personnel found the 29-year-old victim lying in bed with a knife still protruding from her body, officials said. She had suffered four stab wounds and was pronounced dead.
On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the woman’s husband, 35-year-old Nurmuhammed Inus with first-degree murder.
In a written proffer provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, officials said Inus had his own bedroom and his wife slept with their four daughters, ages 3 to 12, in a second bedroom.
Late Saturday, the children were getting ready for bed as their mother sat on Inus’ bed and spoke on the phone. Inus entered the bedroom and started an argument, accusing his wife of infidelity, prosecutors said. Three of the four children were awake and heard the altercation.
The two oldest children, ages 12 and 8, saw Inus go to the kitchen and open the knife drawer. He then returned to the bedroom and continued the argument, said prosecutors.
The two oldest children heard their mother scream and ran to the other bedroom. They found her lying on her back with Inus on top of her, according to prosecutors. Both children saw Inus choking their mother while accusing her of cheating and telling her she was going to die, the proffer said.
According to prosecutors, the 8-year-old saw a knife sticking from her mother’s side, and she tried to keep her mother alive by touching her and saying her name. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old called 911.
Inus washed the blood off his hands while reassuring the children that everything was going to be OK. The kids ran to their bedroom and locked the door.
Prosecutors said Inus fled before police arrived and called the victim’s brother and sister, who went to the family’s apartment. Inus called the brother again while police were at the scene, and a sergeant got on the phone, asking Inus to surrender at the Lincoln (20th) District police station.
Inus walked into the station shortly before midnight and told officers to lock him up for stabbing his wife, the proffer stated.
While in custody on Sunday, Inus allegedly called his sister, and both the sister and Inus contacted the 12-year-old, trying to persuade her to say things happened differently than they did, prosecutors said. But both the 12-year-old and the 8-year-old provided information during interviews that supported the state’s allegations.
The proffer said CPD officers had responded to the family’s home three times in recent months to handle domestic complaints:
On April 11, Inus’ wife reported that Inus pushed her to the ground and slapped her in the face during an argument in which he tried to get her to leave the home. Inus was gone when CPD arrived.
On November 10, Inus’ wife reported he was “going crazy in the home and she doesn’t know what’s going on.”
On November 20, Inus’ wife reported that she had heart problems and Inus was yelling and cursing at her, and she was afraid he was going to hit her.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered Inus detained pending trial.
