Chicago Man Kills Quadriplegic Father in Suspected Drug-Fueled Stabbing, Prosecutors Claim

A man in Illinois has been charged with murder after prosecutors say he strangled and fatally stabbed his quadriplegic father.

According to authorities, 28-year-old Rodney Crowder Jr. recently started spending nights at his father’s apartment in Chicago. Crowder Jr.’s uncle, who served as Crowder Sr.’s caretaker, also lived in the apartment, WMAQ-TV reported.

On the afternoon of April 30, the uncle was awoken by a scream coming from the living room, which is where the bed of 48-year-old Crowder Sr. was located, prosecutors said.

Soon after, Crowder Jr. entered the uncle’s bedroom and “appeared to be on drugs,” officials said.

He left the room, but then returned again, got on top of his uncle, pinned him down and repeatedly apologized to him, WMAQ-TV reported.

Crowder Jr.’s grandmother lived in a separate unit downstairs and could hear the commotion, so she called police.

Once at the scene, officers found the victim dead in the living room and the suspect still pinning his uncle, prosecutors said. Police took into evidence a knife in the living room that appeared to have dried blood on it, according to WMAQ-TV.

Prosecutors said Crowder Sr.’s death was ruled a homicide by strangulation and a stab wound to the neck.

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Crowder Jr. was charged with first-degree murder. At his bail hearing on May 2, he was hospitalized and did not appear in court, officials said.

Prosecutors said he has no criminal background and his bail was set at $1 million. His next court date is scheduled for May 10.