A northern Illinois man accused of stabbing, punching and running over four people and seriously injuring seven others has been denied pretrial release.
A Rockford city judge ruled Tuesday that Christian Soto should remain in jail until his trial. A judge scheduled an arraignment for the 22-year-old defendant on April 15.
The Associated Press left a message Tuesday seeking comment with the attorney listed in court records as representing Soto. Last week, a woman who identified herself as Soto’s sister declined to comment to The Associated Press.
Authorities said Soto was behind a series of frenzied attacks at multiple Rockford-area addresses on Wednesday, but a motive has not been determined.
An inset photo provided by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office shows 22-year-old mass murder suspect Christian Ivan Soto. (Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department/WFLD)
The Winnebago County coroner identified the deceased as 63-year-old Romona Schubach. Jacob Schubach, 23 years old. Jay Larson, 49 years old. and 15-year-old Jenna Newcombe.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said Soto told police after his arrest that he and Jacob Schubach smoked marijuana that was “laced with an unknown narcotic.” He believed this to be the case, and said he became paranoid because of this.
Authorities said Soto first fatally stabbed Schubach and her mother, then beat and stabbed Larson, who worked as a mail carrier, and ran him over with his truck. He then injured three people inside one home and hit Ms. Newcombe, her sister, and a friend with a baseball bat inside another home. The attack occurred within minutes.
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Winnebago County sheriff’s deputies arrested Soto after he fled from another home where he stabbed a woman but was slowed down by a driver who stopped to intervene, authorities said.
