Man bit off parts of couple’s ears during attack: prosecutors

A man attacked a couple in Fernwood over the weekend, biting off parts of their ears.

And when officers arrested him, he allegedly told them the blood he was covered in was not his but the “blood of peasants,” Cook County prosecutors said.

After listening to the allegations against 28-year-old Elijah Rule Hill Prince Monday, Judge John F. Lyke Jr. said he thought he was “listening to a horror movie.”

Rule Hill Prince, who is undergoing a psychiatric examination at a hospital, was not present at his bond hearing on aggravated battery and attempted murder charges.

Rule Hill Prince first attacked his male victim Saturday in the 10500 block of South Emerald Avenue after he tried selling the man something and the man refused the offer, prosecutors said.

Rule Hill Prince allegedly put the man in a chokehold and then hit the man in the head with the shovel the man had been using to clean the alley behind his mother-in-law’s home.

Rule Hill Prince went on to punch the man in the face, gouge his eyes with his fingers, bite his ears and the top of his head before spitting into the man’s mouth, prosecutors said.

At one point, Rule Hill Prince stuffed a three-inch block — an object similar to a door step — into the victim’s left eye, prosecutors said.

Upon hearing the commotion, the man’s wife ran outside and was allegedly attacked by Rule Hill Prince who started by pulling her hair and gouging her eyes with his finger. He also bit her ears, ripping off “large chunks,” and spitting on her, prosecutors said. After the woman fell to the ground, Rule Hill Prince allegedly kicked her head multiple times.

The woman’s husband called 911 after he pulled the wooden object out of his eye. But Rule Hill Prince ran off after a witness came outside and yelled at him, prosecutors said. He was arrested nearby a short time later. Rule Hill Prince’s mouth, face and elbows of his jackets were covered in blood, prosecutors said.

The couple were taken to a hospital in serious condition.

Pieces of the couple’s ears were recovered in the alley but could not be reattached, prosecutors said. The block of wood was also recovered at the crime scene.

The woman, who is missing parts of both ears, suffered two black eyes, bruising to her face and head as well as lacerations, prosecutors said.

Her husband suffered a broken orbital bone, a cut on his head and numerous abrasions on his face. He also has missing a piece of an ear and suffers from impaired vision due to the attack, prosecutors said.

Lyke ordered Rule Hill Prince held on $5 million bail. The judge said the allegations “shock the conscience.”

“I don’t even want to repeat it,” Lyke said.

Rule Hill Prince’s case is back in court May 10.