Prosecutors: Man accused of stabbing relative to death on NW Side fled for 2 days

A man accused of stabbing his relative to death Sunday in the Albany Park neighborhood was denied bond on Thursday.

Abdullah Aljohani, 27, is facing one count of first-degree murder in the death of his relative and roommate, 19-year-old Talal Aljohani, authorities said.

The men, often referred to as brothers, lived together in the 5000 block of North Harding, Assistant State’s Attorney Akash Vyas said in court on Thursday.

About 4 a.m. Sunday, a neighbor heard the men fighting and went over to check on them twice, Vyas said. The first time, Abdullah Aljohani said everything was fine and shut the door before the neighbor could speak.

When the neighbor went back, Abdullah Aljohani said Talal Aljohani was doing three different things, including using the bathroom, but the neighbor could see the bathroom was empty, Vyas said. The neighbor asked to see him, but Abdullah Aljohani shut the door.

The neighbor then called 911. Abdullah Aljohani opened the door slightly for police, told them everything was fine and shut the door, Vyas said. Officers tried knocking again for several minutes but no one responded.

Officers then went to the back of the building and found the back gate, garage door and back door to the home “wide open,” Vyas said. They went in, announcing their office, and found Talal Aljohani lying unresponsive on a mattress with a stab wound to his abdomen and other minor abrasions on his body, Vyas said. A knife was found next to his body.

He was pronounced dead at the scene from the stab wound, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Abdullah Aljohani had fled the apartment by the time police found the body, Vyas said. He went to a friend’s home at 6:30 a.m., where he asked for money and clothing, saying “he was in trouble,” Vyas said. He also told the friend he had run from the police and had left his passport at home.

Police issued a warrant for Abdullah Aljohani’s arrest on Monday, according to court records.

On Tuesday, officers received information that he was in the 4000 block of West Lawrence and found him walking with his fiance’s brother, Vyas said. He began running when he spotted police but was arrested shortly after, Vyas said, who added he was wearing bloody clothing at the time.

Officers later searched Abdullah Aljohani’s fiance’s brother’s bedroom and found the victim’s phone, wallet and ID, as well as four more phones. Vyas said Abdullah Aljohani admitted to his fiance’s brother that he had cut Talal Aljohani with a knife.

A public defender said Abdullah Aljohani had moved to the United States in 2013 from Saudi Arabia, where he has no intention to return. He attends Northeastern Illinois University, where he is taking English classes.

On Thursday, Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered the man held on no bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on April 9.