Suspect charged with murder, attempted murder in deadly Rockford rampage
CHICAGO – A 22-yearold man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a frenzied stabbing and beating rampage that left four people dead in a matter of minutes in a northern Illinois city, authorities said Thursday.
Christian Soto is also charged with seven counts of attempted murder and home invasion with a dangerous weapon following the attacks in Rockford on Wednesday. Seven people were injured.
Court and jail records show Soto appeared in court briefly Thursday afternoon and remains held without bond. He is next due in court Tuesday when a judge will determine if he stays in jail pending trial.
Rockford Mayor Tom Mcnamara, who was clearly shaken and struggled
to hold back tears during a news conference Thursday, listed the victims as 63-year-old Romona Schupbach; 23-year-old Jacob Schupbach; 49-year-old Jay Larson; and 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb.
Three people remained hospitalized Thursday, officials said. The other four were treated and released, Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said.
Authorities have released little information about Soto, who was arrested Wednesday. A woman who identified herself as Soto’s sister declined to comment to The Associated Press.
Redd said Soto acted alone and that police do not know his motive for the attacks.
She said Soto and Jacob Schupbach had grown up together. Soto told police that the two were smoking marijuana at Schupbach’s home before the attack, Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said.
“Soto said that he believes that drugs provided to him by Jacob were laced with an unknown narcotic,” Hanley said. “Soto said he became paranoid after the drug usage. He said he retrieved a knife from the kitchen ... and proceeded to stab” his friend and his friend’s mother to death.
Hanley provided details of the deadly attacks that quickly unfolded in a neighborhood of ranchstyle homes soon after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Redd said less than 20 minutes passed between the initial 911 call and Soto’s arrest.
Rockford police responded first to a home on Holmes Street, where they found the bodies of Jacob Schupbach and his mother, Romona.
Hanley said witnesses saw Jacob Schupbach being chased across the street, and that the attacker hit or stabbed him as he lay on the ground. They said the attacker then drove a pickup truck over Schupbach, who was able to make it inside the home. Witnesses said the attacker followed him but left soon after and drove away, Hanley said.
Hanley said officers
evidence of wrongdoing while Biden was in public office.
“In light of the yawning gap between your public statements and the evidence assembled by the Committee, as well as the White House’s obstruction, it is in the best interest of the American people for you to answer questions from Members of Congress directly, and I hereby invite you to do so,” the Kentucky Republican wrote.
While it is highly unlikely
that Biden would agree to appear before lawmakers in such a setting, Comer pointed to previous examples of presidents’ testifying before Congress.
“As you are aware, presidents before you have provided testimony to congressional committees, including President Ford’s testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974,” Comer continued.
The invitation comes as the monthslong inquiry into Biden is all but winding down as Republicans face the stark reality that
it lacks the political appetite from within the conference to go forward with an actual impeachment. Nonetheless, leaders of the effort, including Comer are facing growing political pressure to deliver something after months of work investigating the Biden family and its web of international business transactions.
The White House has repeatedly called the inquiry baseless, telling Republicans to “move on” and focus on “real issues” Americans want addressed.
“This is a sad stunt at the end of a dead impeachment,”
spokesman Ian Sams said in a social media post last week. “Call it a day, pal.”
The committee has asserted for the past year that the Bidens traded on the family name, an alleged influence-peddling scheme in which Republicans are trying to link a handful of phone calls or dinner meetings between Joe Biden, when he was vice president or out of office, and Hunter Biden and his business associates.
But despite dedicating countless resources, and interviewing dozens of witnesses, including the president’s
son Hunter Biden and his brother James Biden, Republicans have yet to produce any evidence that shows Joe Biden was directly involved or benefited from his family’s businesses while in public office.
Democrats have remained unified against the inquiry, with Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on Oversight, calling for his GOP counterpart to end the investigation absent any credible evidence.
“The GOP impeachment inquiry has been a circus,” Oversight Democrats wrote on X, the website formerly
known as Twitter. “Time to fold up the tent.”
Seeking testimony from the president could ultimately be the inquiry’s final act. Late last year, Republicans leading the investigation had privately discussed holding a vote on articles of impeachment in the new year, but growing criticism from within their party forced a shift in strategy. Now, Comer is eyeing potential criminal referrals of the family to the Justice Department, a move that will be largely symbolic and unlikely to be taken up by the department.