ROCKFORD, Illinois (AP) — A northern Illinois man accused of killing four people and injuring seven others by stabbing, beating and running them over is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
It is anticipated that a judge in Rockford City will take into account the prosecution’s request for Christian Soto to stay behind bars until his trial. One day after the Rockford attack, on Thursday, the 22-year-old man made a brief court appearance and was taken into custody. For additional time to prepare for the hearing, his defense requested.
The Winnebago County Public Defender’s Office, listed as Soto’s representative in court documents, did not respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment on his behalf. A woman who identified herself last week as Soto’s sister declined to comment to the AP.
The Winnebago County Coroner on Thursday identified the dead as Romona Schupbach, 63; Jacob Schupbach, 23; Jay Larson, 49 years old; and Jenna Newcomb, 15 years old.
Authorities last week described a series of frenzied attacks within minutes at multiple addresses in the Rockford neighborhood, but said they had not determined a motive.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney J.
Hanley said Soto told police after his arrest that he had smoked marijuana with Jacob Schupbach and that he thought the drug was “mixed with an illegal drug.” determined” made him paranoid. Authorities said Soto first stabbed Schupbach and his mother, then violently attacked others in the neighborhood and inside other homes.
They said he beat, stabbed and used his truck to hit Larson, who worked as a mail carrier; injured three people in a house; and beat Newcomb, his sister and a friend with a baseball bat at another house.
Authorities said a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy arrested Soto as he fled another home where he had stabbed a woman and was stopped by a man passing by to intervene.
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