What we know about the victims in Rockford, Illinois stabbings
Christian Ivan Soto, 22, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder in a violent stabbing spree in Rockford, Illinois.
Soto was arrested after a 20-minute rampage on Wednesday afternoon, with police taking him into custody as they say he was stabbing his last victims.
Who are the Rockford victims?
Winnebago County prosecutor J. Hanley said Soto first fatally stabbed his childhood friend, Jacob Schupbach, 23, and Schupbach's mother, 63-year-old Ramona Schupbach. Hanley said Soto used a knife from the Schupbach's kitchen.
After leaving the Schupbach home, Soto encountered mail carrier Jay Larson, who was delivering the mail as he had done for 25 years in Rockford. Hanley said Soto began to punch and stab him. According to witnesses, Soto then ran over Larson with his pickup truck two times, leaving him for dead.
Police say Soto eventually entered a home where three girls were in the basement watching a movie while on spring break from school. Soto found a baseball bat and began to beat the girls. Jenna Newcomb died from her injuries, and her mother told Mayor Tom McNamara that Jenna died saving her sister and friend from further harm. The two surviving teens suffered bruises, lacerations, and broken bones. Jenna would have turned 16 on April 1.
Timeline of 20-minute crime rampage
In a three-page statement of facts, prosecutors laid out the timeline of events on Wednesday afternoon.
The attack began at the Schupbach home in the 2300 block of Holmes Street around 1:15 p.m. Prosecutors said Soto smoked marijuana there and then stabbed both Jacob and Ramona and ran over Jacob with his pickup.
Witnesses said they first saw Soto chasing Jacob across the street, hitting him and stabbing him. As Jacob was lying on the driveway Soto got into his pickup truck and ran over Jacob, who then ran into the house. Soto followed him inside and then was seen leaving minutes later, prosecutors said. Both victims were found inside the home.
Soto then encountered Larson in the 2200 block of Winnetka Drive and ran him over with his truck. Responding police said Larson was stabbed multiple times. Soto told investigators that he recognized Larson as a mailman. A witness said Larson pleaded with him to call 911, which he did.
Soto then ran away, entered another home in the 4800 block of Cleveland Avenue, and began attacking three residents with a knife, prosecutors said. They all survived their attack and were treated for stab wounds around their face at the hospital. One of the residents hit Soto with a syrup bottle, and Soto later told investigators that their pit bull bit him.
Soto next broke into the home on Cleveland Avenue where Newcomb, her sister, and a friend were watching a movie.
After that attack, Soto broke a window in a home in the 4600 block of Florence Street and began attacking a woman with a knife. The woman managed to escape, and Soto chased her on foot to a front yard in the 2100 block of Eggleston Road, where Soto continued his attack. A man in a gray Jeep stopped to help the woman, and he was also stabbed.
It was at this point that police took Soto into custody around 1:35 p.m. And Soto dropped the knife at the woman's feet.
Both have serious injuries, and the woman was intubated at the hospital.
What was Soto's motive?
Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley said Soto admitted to the killings during interviews with detectives. Soto told investigators that he had smoked marijuana that he claimed had been laced with a drug that caused him to go on his killing spree, Hanley said. However, his motive was not immediately clear.
Did the suspect have a criminal record?
According to Hanley, the suspect had one felony arrest from 2020 for criminal damage to property at a local forest preserve. He also had some traffic offenses. There was nothing in his past that would have indicated this level of violent behavior, authorities said.
