Man charged with murder in Berwyn grocery store stabbing denied bail

A 30-year-old man was denied bail Saturday after Cook County prosecutors accused him of fatally stabbing a good Samaritan who intervened after he allegedly attacked a 14-year-old girl and her mother Friday morning at a Berwyn grocery store.

Fernando Barrios faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 32-year-old Humberto Guzman and an attempted murder charge for allegedly stabbing another man during the incident that started at Valle’s Produce, Berwyn police announced Saturday.

Barrios became irate Friday morning when he believed a teenage girl cut in line to buy a bottle of water at the store, located at 6323 W. Cermak Road, Berwyn Police Chief Michael Cimaglia said.

The girl was actually just asking the cashier — who is her mother — how much the water cost, police said.

Berwyn police

Barrios repeatedly punched the teen in her in the head, and then attacked the girl’s mother when she tried to step in, prosecutors said in court.

When Guzman tried to stop Barrios from leaving the store, Barrios pulled out a knife and stabbed him four times in the chest, prosecutors said.

Guzman, of southwest suburban Justice, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead.

A man who had been shopping at another nearby store joined grocery store employees who chased after Barrios, until Barrios turned and stabbed the man in his torso, prosecutors said.

That man was also taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Police found Barrios in a backyard in the 2300 block of Cuyler Avenue and took him into custody, prosecutors said. Officers recovered a knife from Barrios’ pocket, which he allegedly admitted using to stab the men.

During his court appearance Saturday, Barrios said he “had no choice” but to stab the men and was defending himself.

“I believe I was being attacked by the male employees,” Barrios told Judge David Navarro.

Barrios was then warned by the judge and an assistant public defender appointed to represent him that speaking further could hurt his defense as the case continues.

Barrios has never been convicted of a crime and works part-time for a landscaping company, the defense attorney said.

In his decision, Navarro said he couldn’t understand how an argument over someone cutting in line would result in a person’s death.

“The word senseless comes to mind,” the judge said.

Barrios is due back in court Tuesday.