Judge denies bail for suspect in fatal road-rage stabbing

A Cook County judge Saturday denied bail during a brief hearing for a suspect charged with fatally stabbing another motorist near the Magnificent Mile Tuesday.

Alan Saenz Perez, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 36-year-old Jeremy Walker in the 600 block of North Dearborn Street Tuesday about 7 p.m.

Perez and Walker were both traveling on Dearborn and Walker was “closely following the offender’s car,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Kathryn Morrissey in court.

Both drivers came to a stop and Walker began to shout insults at Perez, whose wife and brother were with him in his car.

They continued driving but suddenly Walker “abruptly” cut Perez off in the intersection of Ohio and Dearborn streets, causing Perez to honk his horn.

Perez then grabbed a knife and ran up to Walker, who also had exited his car but he had nothing in his hands. They brawled and Walker was able to hold off Perez, who then broke free and stabbed Walker in the neck, Morrissey said.

Bleeding profusely, Walker got back into his car and drove to Michigan Avenue, where he flagged down police in the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue before dying. He was pronounced dead at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“The defendant elevated a simple traffic dispute into a brutal murder of an unarmed person on a public street,” Morrissey said.

Perez fled to Indiana, but he turned himself in on Wednesday, Morrissey said.

A lawyer appointed to defend Perez, Raed Shalabi, said Perez is the sole supporter for his family and is not a flight risk.

Perez, of the 2200 block of West 50th Place, surrendered to police Thursday in the 2400 block of West Belmont Avenue, police said.

Perez is due back in court on Aug. 30.