News

Deadly stabbing at party in Hanover Park investigated

Posted June 05, 2009 11:00 pm

Marni Pyke

The Major Case Assistance Team works with the Hanover Park Police as they investigate a stabbing death Saturday morning. Gilber R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

A celebration in Hanover Park turned deadly in the early hours of the morning when uninvited guests started a spiral of violence, leading to the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old man and injury to another person, authorities said.

Diontae Roberts of Hanover Park died at 3:15 a.m. today at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates after he was injured during a party in the 8000 block of Catawba Lane, officials said. Another person was taken to the hospital, officials said.

Hanover Park police are still investigating and interviewing about 30 people who were at the gathering, including suspects, Mayor Rod Craig said.

"My understanding is that it was either a birthday or a post-graduation party," Craig said. "A couple of characters show up and we have a problem - now someone has lost their life."

Hanover Park police Lt. Mike Menough confirmed that police are questioning many people and said more information should be available in a few hours.

The fatality comes on the heels of the slaying of a 31-year-old pregnant mother of two Thursday. Authorities have charged the woman's boyfriend with murder.

"I thought I was speechless last time," Craig said. "This is gut-wrenching."

The crime happened in a stable, "nice" area of the village, Craig said, adding he did not know if it was gang-related.

On Friday night, Hanover Park sponsored a Relay for Life walk to raise money for cancer research and support survivors. Craig said he thought the charity event might be the topic of the day, only to learn about another homicide.

"All this good work gets lost because of a crazy person with a knife," he said.

Craig said the village is doing all it can to stem violence in the town, including seminars for parents on gangs and a police intervention committee working with the community.

On Wednesday, the village and Elgin Area Unit District 46 is hosting a gang-awareness forum from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Laurel Hill Elementary School, 1750 Laurel Ave. The aim is to help parents spot signs of gang activity in their children.

Police investigate the stabbing death of a man in Hanover Park when a party turned deadly in the early hours of Saturday morning. Gilber R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

Investigators from th the Major Crime Scene task force and Hanover Park police investigate a stabbing death. Gilber R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig talks to Beverly Overall and other residents at the crime scene. Gilber R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

Parth Patel, 14, left, talks to police about the party Friday night that he heard form his home across the street. Gilber R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <div class="moreSubHead"> Video</div> <ul class="video"> <li><a href=" /multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=360"> Hanover Park slaying scene </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>

Article Comments

Article Categories
Communities Cook County Counties Hanover Park News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.