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Defendant says he was cleaning nails with knife when victim playfully tackled him

A Waukegan man on trial after charges that he fatally stabbed a friend at a Waukegan hotel said from the witness stand Friday the killing happened accidentally while he was cleaning his fingernails with a knife and the victim jumped on him in a playful manner.

Kevin Curtis, 29, testified in his own defense Friday morning, telling jurors the July 2013 stabbing death of Jacob Blum, 19, was not intentional.

Curtis said it occurred as he was on a bed at the Red Roof Inn hotel on the 3100 block of Belvidere Road. Blum suddenly "plowed me" from another bed, Curtis said from the witness stand.

"I did not see the knife go in," he testified. "He (Blum) hopped up and said, 'What the (expletive), Kevin?'"

But under cross examination by Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Dan Kleinhubert, Curtis said the knife was pointing down when he was cleaning his nails before Blum playfully tackled him.

Closing arguments in the trial were delivered Friday afternoon and the case was handed to the jury. After jurors deliberated into Friday night, they were dismissed and will reconvene Tuesday morning.

Curtis has been on trial this week on multiple first-degree murder charges. He has been held in Lake County jail in lieu of $5 million bail since his arrest shortly after the killing.

If found guilty, Curtis could be sentenced up to 60 years in prison, attorneys said.

Authorities said they were called to the hotel about 11:30 p.m. July 16, 2013, about a man in the lobby who had been stabbed in the chest.

Blum identified Curtis as his attacker before being taken to Vista West Medical Center in Waukegan, where he later died from his injuries, authorities said.

Police said Curtis was visiting with Blum, Blum's brother Kevin, and Blum's father, Jeffrey, at the hotel when the stabbing occurred. Curtis testified that all four worked together at Windy City Meats in Gurnee.

The stabbing happened after Kevin Blum left the hotel room and Jeffrey Blum went into the bathroom to clean up, Curtis said in court.

Curtis denied intentionally trying to kill, hurt or injure Jacob Blum the night of the stabbing and told the Blums it was an accident immediately after the stabbing took place, he said.

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