A Hoffman Estates male suspect accused of stabbing a 30-year-old acquaintance 50 times with a kitchen knife in the block of 700 Hill Drive in Hoffman Estates on Monday night, September 20, 2021 has been apprehended by police. Francisco J. Palomares-Mendez, age 20, has been charged with first-degree murder, and faces between 20 and 60 years in prison if convicted.
Police and paramedics from Hoffman Estates were called about 11:48 p.m. Monday, a few minutes after a fight began. Police arrived first and confirmed the scene was secure. When paramedics moved up to assess and treat the victim, they discovered a stabbing victim that was already in cardiac arrest at the scene.
Cook County prosecutors say Francisco J. Palomares-Mendez and the victim had been drinking together in the block of 700 Hill Drive in Hoffman Estates. At about 11:45 p.m. Monday a fight erupted between the two. Next, another male acquaintance approached the two men, and Palomares-Mendez retrieved a kitchen knife from his backpack and proceeded to repeatedly stab the victim in the chest, abdomen and back, according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mary McMahon.
Following the stabbing, Palomares-Mendez and the second acquaintance fled, leaving “the victim behind to succumb to his injuries,” according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mary McMahon.
Officers responding to the 911 call reported the victim was lying on the ground with “deep and voluminous” wounds, and physicians at the emergency department at Amita St. Alexius Medical Center said the man “was stabbed in excess of 50 times,” according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mary McMahon.
McMahon said eyewitnesses at the scene observed the physical struggle between Palomares-Mendez and the victim, and saw the defendant retrieve the knife from the backpack, stab the victim and flee the scene. A witness, who took cellphone video of the defendant and the second male acquaintance fleeing the scene, called 911. Palomares-Mendez was subsequently identified from video evidence from earlier that day, according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mary McMahon.
Police searched Palomares-Mendez’s residence and discovered blood in the sink and a shirt with blood stains that matched a shirt the defendant was wearing during the stabbing, according to Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mary McMahon. His booking date was Friday, September 24, 2021.
Cook County Judge Ellen Mandeltort held Francisco J. Palomares-Mendez without bail at the request of prosecutors, who referred to the “gruesome and excessively violent nature of the attack.” The next court date for Francisco J. Palomares-Mendez was scheduled for Friday, October 15, 2021.
Police, firefighters and paramedics from Hoffman Estates responded about 11:48 p.m. Monday, September 20, 2021 to a report of a stabbing with two suspects that had fled the scene at an apartment complex in the block of 700 Hill Drive in Hoffman Estates.
Police and paramedics received a report that the victim was unconscious but breathing after the stabbing. Hoffman Estates police secured the scene and paramedics were allowed to move to the victim by 11:54 p.m. Paramedics discovered the victim was in cardiac arrest at the scene. The victim was treated with CPR and Advanced Life Support.
Hoffman Estates Fire Department paramedics transported the victim to Amita St. Alexius Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Initially, the victim’s identity was not released.
Hoffman Estates police officers with a K-9 unit conducted an extensive search of the area but were unable to locate the suspects. Initially the suspects were described as two male/Hispanics in their 30s, but Hoffman Estates Police said witnesses described the offenders as two men of Honduran descent, possibly in their 20s. Both offenders fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers, authorities said.
One the suspects fled on a bicycle eastbound toward Valley Lane. A report indicated one suspect was described wearing a red shirt with black pants, and one was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. The Hoffman Estates Police Department headquarters is only a few blocks east of the scene of the crime.
The initial investigation indicated there may have been a prior relationship between the victim and the suspects.
Detectives from the Hoffman Estates Police Department, along with the Major Case Assistance Team, are investigating the stabbing death.
Any citizens with information are urged to contact the Hoffman Estates Police Department at 847-882-1818.
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