Sheriff: Palatine Township man charged in fatal stabbing of roommate

A 47-year-old Palatine Township man stabbed his roommate to death Wednesday after an argument while the two were drinking, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said Friday.

Miguel Gonzalez Lopez is charged with murder and aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon in the death of 50-year-old Antonio Gomez Torres. He was denied bail Friday during a hearing at the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

At about 9 p.m. Wednesday, sheriff's police arrived at an apartment on the 2400 block of Randall Lane in unincorporated Palatine Township in response to a report of a battery, according to a news release.

They found Gomez Torres stabbed in the apartment and Gonzalez Lopez with blood on his hands and clothes, the release said. Gomez Torres was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff's detectives learned Gonzalez Lopez had been drinking with his brother and Gomez Torres when an argument ensued between him and the victim, ending in Gonzalez Lopez stabbing Gomez Torres, authorities said.

When Gonzalez Lopez's brother attempted to intervene, Gonzalez Lopez turned the knife toward him, the release said.

Fearing for his life, the brother fled the apartment and called 911.

Officers recovered a knife near a storage area in the apartment building that matched the description of the weapon used in the stabbing, authorities said.