Man deemed fit to stand trial in fatal stabbing

A Kane County judge has ruled an Elgin man accused of stabbing a stranger to death now is fit to stand trial.

Anderson Contreras, 21, appeared Friday before Kane County Judge Julia Yetter.

Yetter accepted a psychiatrist’s report deeming Contreras competent to assist in his defense. The prosecution and defense agreed to the report.

It is yet to be determined what Contreras’ mental status was at the time of the crime, authorities said.

Contreras is accused of killing Sunday Ogunjimi, 36, on Oct. 12. According to Stajdohar, Contreras told police he did it because Ogunjimi was wearing red and black clothing, the colors of a rival gang. Ogunjimi was not in a gang.

Contreras approached Ogunjimi as Ogunjimi was walking home from a store, and asked him for $1 and a beer, according to Stajdohar.

When Ogunjimi reached into his backpack for the beer, Contreras stabbed him, according to Stajdohar.

In a separate case, Contreras also is charged with attacking a youth Sept. 28 on a football field at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles. The attack happened after Contreras had been released from jail earlier in the day in a domestic-battery case, authorities said.

His next court appearance is March 5.

Yetter said the status of a psychiatric evaluation will be discussed then.

At Contreras’ pretrial detention hearing in October, his attorney said Contreras resumed taking medication prescribed to treat an unspecified mental illness.