No charges filed in fatal Schaumburg stabbing
Schaumburg police have released from custody a man held since late Saturday night in connection with the fatal stabbing death of a 31-year-old Poplar Grove man, determining there is not enough evidence to charge him with a crime.
After an exhaustive investigation, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office decided charges would not be filed against the Schaumburg man because they could not disprove claims he acted in self-defense, authorities said.
Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said he could not comment on the evidence in the case, including whether the Schaumburg man had sustained any injuries during the fatal altercation inside a village apartment building.
The stabbing victim, James A. Gosnell, was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m. Saturday at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. He had been found seriously injured from stab wounds in an apartment on the 1800 block of Georgia Court following a 10:12 p.m. 911 call for medical assistance.
Nebl said Gosnell and the Schaumburg man knew one another and had been socializing when an altercation erupted, leading to the Poplar Grove man's fatal injuries. An autopsy determined he died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
Nebl would not say whether the Schaumburg man held during the investigation was a resident of the apartment where the stabbing occurred.
The apartment also was released from its status as a crime scene Monday night, when Schaumburg detectives met with Gosnell's family to explain to them the investigation's findings and the decision of the state's attorney's office.
Gosnell's family could not be reached directly for comment, and through police Tuesday declined to comment.
Schaumburg police received assistance throughout the investigation from the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) Forensics Unit, the Cook County medical examiner's office and the state's attorney.