Prosecutor: Arlington Hts. man stabbed grandma 16 times

An Arlington Heights man who was arrested late Thursday in the attempted murder of his elderly grandmother stabbed her 16 times, prosecutors said Friday.

Daniel G. Levine, 24, of the 3300 block of Carriage Way Drive, was charged Friday with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a knife in the stabbing of the 86-year-old woman.

His bond was set at $2 million Friday morning.

Prosecutors said Levine told police he wanted to kill his grandmother, with whom he'd lived for four months, because she belittled and antagonized him and never showed him respect.

Prosectors also said Levine had been smoking crack cocaine in Chicago earlier Thursday when he got a flat tire and called for a tow. He then asked the tow truck operator where he could find a gun to kill his grandmother, and the tow truck operator reported that to police, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Maria McCarthy said.

Arlington Heights police Cmdr. Kenneth Galinski said that Levine's car was towed to a Chicago gas station and that Chicago police took him to St. Mary's Hospital on Chicago's near west side because Levine appeared under the influence of drugs.

When he sobered up, Levine took a cab from the hospital back to his grandmother's condo in Arlington Heights, where he attacked her, Galinski added.

McCarthy said Levine's grandmother tried to escape her condo during the brutal attack but that Levine dragged her back in from the hallway and stabbed her again. A neighbor heard the woman's screams and saw the attack in the hallway, McCarthy said.

The grandmother was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in critical condition with 16 stab wounds in the back and torso and two collapsed lungs. Her condition stabilized, prosecutors said Friday.

Police said the neighbor called at about 5 p.m. Thursday to report the attack.

Arlington Heights officers, assisted by Buffalo Grove police, scoured the neighborhood in search of Levine. A police dog named Marco found Levine hiding, at which point Levine ran off. But police found him about a mile from the scene of the attack and apprehended him without further resistance, police said.

Galinski said after Levine's statement, they retraced his steps and eventually interviewed the tow truck operator and contacted Chicago police. But Arlington Heights police were not aware of what had transpired earlier in Chicago until after the attack.

If he makes bond, Levine cannot have any contact with his grandmother, be in her condo or possess a firearm.

If found guilty of the Class X felonies, he could spend 30 years to life behind bars.