The city of Chicago has been plunged into horror following a brutal and calculated murder aboard its public transport system, an attack the perpetrator is accused of recording on his mobile phone.
A Calculated and Filmed Killing
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Demetrius Thurman, 40, allegedly crept up on a sleeping Dominique Pollion, 37, as their Blue Line train travelled through the city. Prosecutors state that Thurman then stabbed Pollion in the chest and abdomen with a large knife in a frenzied assault, all while recording the violence on his phone.
The court heard this week that the two men were strangers. The attack woke Pollion, who screamed and tried to back away down the train carriage. The Chicago Tribune reported that Thurman followed him, phone in one hand and the knife in the other, until Pollion collapsed. Thurman then fled into another carriage.
A Chilling Encounter with Police
When patrol officers entered the carriage and discovered Pollion gravely injured on the floor, Thurman reportedly re-entered, still recording. He allegedly told the officers, 'Somebody got his a**'. Pollion was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead. Thurman was arrested on Sunday, with the graphic recordings of the stabbing discovered on his device.
Thurman now faces a charge of first-degree murder. He was held in detention with a court date scheduled for February 3. Authorities are investigating whether the footage, described as a potential 'snuff film' intended for an audience, was livestreamed or shared before his arrest.
A Troubled History for the Blue Line
This horrific incident is the latest violent crime to scar Chicago's Blue Line. Last November, Bethany MaGee, 26, was attacked by a stranger, Lawrence Reed, who doused her in gasoline and set her alight aboard a train. MaGee managed to flee and survive but suffered burns to 60 percent of her body.
Her suspected attacker, Reed, is a serial criminal with 72 prior arrests. Shockingly, he had been freed months earlier by a judge despite a prosecutor's warning that his next crime would 'likely be violent'. Reed now faces a federal terrorism charge. MaGee remains in a critical condition in hospital, facing months of treatment and rehabilitation.
These back-to-back atrocities on the same transit line have sparked profound alarm about public safety and judicial decision-making in the city, raising urgent questions about the protection of citizens on Chicago's transport network.
