Homeless Man Fatally Stabbed by Migrant Teens in Chicago, Police Say

Three migrant teenagers have been charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in Chicago, according to city and federal officials. The attack occurred early Sunday morning in the Chicago Loop and was captured on surveillance video, as reported by Fox News.

Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said. He appeared in court on Tuesday for a detention hearing, where a judge ordered him held pre-trial.

Two additional suspects, both 14 years old, were also charged. One faces a first-degree murder charge, and the other is charged with armed robbery. Both appeared in juvenile court on Monday and were ordered into custody.

Officials said the victim did not know any of the suspects. All three teenagers are reportedly from Venezuela. According to the Department of Homeland Security, records show that Rodriguez-Vasquez crossed into the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023.

DHS said he was arrested and released at that time, along with his mother. In court filings, Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist said Rodriguez-Vasquez’s 2023 encounter with Texas authorities was documented as an “alien inadmissibility” case. Kleist also noted that Rodriguez-Vasquez has no prior criminal history in Illinois.

Prosecutors described the events leading to the stabbing during Rodriguez-Vasquez’s hearing. At approximately 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, the victim was sleeping near his belongings, including a cat and a skeleton mask.

A group that included Rodriguez-Vasquez and the two 14-year-olds approached him. Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Vasquez had a knife hidden in his sleeve, and another teenager was holding a metal rod.

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One of the teenagers allegedly grabbed the victim’s skeleton mask and ran. When the victim stood up, Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly kicked him.

Prosecutors said one of the 14-year-olds struck the victim with the metal rod, and Rodriguez-Vasquez then stabbed him in the back, causing him to collapse. The victim was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner later ruled the cause of death to be a stab wound to the back and classified the manner of death as homicide.

Chicago police located the teenagers after spotting individuals on camera wearing the same clothing seen in surveillance footage. Rodriguez-Vasquez was found with a knife in his possession. He was later identified by his mother and another member of the group.

⚠️WARNING: This post describes a fatal beating.

Two Venezuelan migrant teenagers have been charged with the murder of a homeless man in Chicago following a brutal early morning attack.

Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, and an unnamed 14-year-old boy are accused of killing… pic.twitter.com/kf3bAM7VT9

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) November 26, 2025

Prosecutors also said Rodriguez-Vasquez appeared in images taken after the attack “displaying a knife to the group, making stabbing motions, and wearing the victim’s skeleton mask on his head.”

A Chicago police source told Fox News the killing was an especially brutal attack, describing it as “mob style” and noting that some of the suspects were laughing afterward.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue reviewing surveillance footage and witness statements.

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