Elgin man guilty in stabbing over cellphone
A Kane County jury has convicted an Elgin man on various charges in the stabbing of a man over his cellphone and drug debt last November, officials said.
Marcellus D. Thomas, 31, of the 100 block of Kimball Street, faces a 10- to 30-year prison sentence for armed violence, armed robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
A sentencing date before Kane County Judge David Akemann has been set for May 17.
After a weeklong trial, a jury late Friday convicted Thomas on the trio of charges while acquitting him of a charge of attempted murder. Either way, he still faces the same potential prison term.
Thomas has been in police custody since turning himself in on Nov. 13. Police say he stabbed a 37-year-old man once in the chest in an effort to steal the man’s phone.
Prosecutors said Thomas and another man were drinking and using drugs in Thomas’ apartment the night of Nov. 5 and morning of Nov. 6 when the two began to argue over whether the victim had paid for some cocaine.
When the man went to leave the apartment, Thomas demanded the man’s cellphone, punched him and stabbed him once in the chest with a large kitchen knife, police said.
Prosecutors said Thomas threw the knife into an open area near the Fox River.
The victim was able to pick Thomas out of a photo lineup and Thomas’ girlfriend also witnessed the attack, police said.
Thomas’ defense attorney, Charles Nave, could not immediately be reached for comment.