Wheeling murder trial opens

A day spent hanging out with friends escalated into rage and violence, ruining two lives in April 2002 at a Wheeling apartment complex, both defense and prosecuting attorneys said today.

The question, though, centered on the cause.

Opening arguments in the murder trial of Alfredo Hernandez, 32, for allegedly fatally stabbing his buddy Juan Carlos Cardoso, 23, started in the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

Hernandez, who previously lived at 291 Ninth St., deliberately attacked an unarmed man, Cook County prosecutor Shandra Leary told the jury.

"This is about choices. He made the choice to go after Juan Carlos Cardoso," Leary said. "It's a sad, senseless murder."

The two men had been drinking beer when an argument broke out. They fought physically, then separated. But Cardoso went to Hernandez's apartment the night of April 14, 2002, and yelled up at him, defense attorney Eugene O'Malley said.

"Alfredo Hernandez feared for his life and he defended himself," O'Malley said.

Hernandez left the country after the killing, but was apprehended in Mexico in 2007 and extradited to Illinois.