Waukegan man charged in fatal stabbing pleads not guilty
The Waukegan man accused of stabbing one man to death and seriously wounding another inside a moving car pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Lake County Circuit Court.
Zervant Thomas, 18, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and armed violence in the Aug. 19 attack on Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
Assistant State’s Attorney Patricia Fix said Thomas was in a vehicle driven by Stefan Metel, 33, of Round Lake when the attack occurred.
In a statement made after the attack to detectives from the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, Thomas said Metel had agreed to give him a ride to his girlfriend’s house in Round Lake.
As the car was passing a car dealership near Gurnee Mills at about 1:16 p.m., Fix said, front-seat passenger Arturo Antomez, 17, of Round Lake Beach, announced that Metel was going to first stop at his house.
Fix said Thomas, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, told the detectives he took Antomez’s statement as a sign he was going to be attacked and pulled out a knife.
Police said Thomas stabbed Metel five times in the neck before turning the blade on Antomez, who was stabbed near the left eye and in the hand.
Both Metel and Thomas ran into service bays at the nearby Anthony Auto Group, where Metel collapsed and mechanics held Thomas until police arrived.
Thomas is held on $5 million bond, and faces more than 100 years in prison if convicted of all the charges against him.
Circuit Judge John Phillips scheduled a trial of the case for Dec. 5 and ordered Thomas to appear in court Oct. 12.