Two Logan Square neighbors were drinking together in their backyard until one man ran inside, got a knife and stabbed the other.
Before Adrian Campos died early Monday morning, he told his family that he had been stabbed by his downstairs neighbor, Ruben Quispe-Trujillo, Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Sarah Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo’s sister-in-law had seen the men drinking beer in the backyard and being “social” with one another before the attack with the kitchen knife in the 1900 block of North Rockwell Street, Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo had been drinking with his co-workers hours before and when they left, he invited 26-year-old Campos upstairs, Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo’s wife told the pair to go in the backyard because they had been making too much noise outside in the front of the apartment building, Karr said.
The sister-in-law soon awoke to the sound of the back door slamming open and saw Quispe-Trujillo leave the kitchen and into the backyard, Karr said.
From the opened door, she and her mother saw Quispe-Trujillo, 24, swinging and thrusting the knife toward Campos, Karr said. Quispe-Trujillo’s mother-in-law ran outside and tried to tackle him, Karr said. By this point, Quispe-Trujillo’s was also roused from the commotion and saw her husband swinging at Campos, Karr said.
Campos, who suffered stab wounds to the chest and a swollen eye, was able to stumble upstairs. His father let him into the apartment, Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo also went back to his apartment and started pacing back and forth. His nephew called police when he noticed the blood on Quispe-Trujillo’s hands, prompting Quispe-Trujillo to flee, Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo was arrested a few blocks away in the 2600 block of West Armitage Avenue. He was ordered held on $2 million bail Wednesday.
The knife, which has a 10-inch blade, was recovered, Karr said.
Quispe-Trujillo is a native of Ecuador, according to an assistant public defender. He has two children — a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old — and works in construction, the defense attorney said.
