A 16-year-old Venezuelan migrant has been charged as an adult in the fatal stabbing of a homeless man in the Loop last weekend, Cook County court records show.

Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez is one of three minors charged in the early Sunday killing of a still-unidentified 49-year-old man in the 200 block of South Wabash Avenue. Rodriguez-Vasquez was charged with first-degree murder and mob action, while his two co-defendants — both 14-year-old boys — are charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery, respectively.

A Cook County judge on Tuesday ordered Rodriguez-Vasquez detained pending trial, records show. Court information for the other two defendants was not available due in part to their status as juveniles.

Prosecutors noted that the arrest was Rodriguez-Vasquez’s first, though he was previously barred entry to the United States in September 2023.

Rodriguez-Vasquez was among a group walking downtown about 5:45 a.m. Sunday when, prosecutors allege, they encountered the victim who was lying in a building alcove near his pet cat and other personal effects, including a skeleton mask.

One of the 14-year-old defendants “lunged” at the victim, prompting him to stand up. The other 14-year-old grabbed the skeleton mask after Rodriguez-Vasquez kicked the man from behind, prosecutors said. The teen with the mask then fled the area.

The remaining 14-year-old brandished a metal rod at the victim, and when he raised his hands “in a defensive posture,” Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly stabbed him once in the back with a knife. The man collapsed to the ground, and the two suspects ran off before reuniting with the rest of the group and boarding a southbound CTA Red Line train at Monroe.

Prosecutors said the entire attack was captured on surveillance footage. CPD records show a pastor discovered the victim a few hours later and called 911.

That afternoon, about 4 p.m., officers monitoring POD video saw the group in the 2600 block of West Cermak Avenue and they were placed under arrest.

Rodriguez-Vasquez is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 16.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/26/teen-migrant-charged-stabbing-homeless/