10/24/2026
Femicide and Sexual Violence in Chatham: Landlord Confesses to Strangling 36-Year-Old Woman to Death as Another Tenant Reports Being R**e at Gunpoint in Southside Building October 22, 2026
58-Year-Old Landlord With Decades of Violent Criminal Convictions Reportedly Walks Into Police Station and Admits Killing Woman Found Naked Beneath a Sheet
ME2026-05651
October 22, 2026
8119 S. Ellis Avenue, Apartment 2
Chatham, Chicago
Female, 36, Black
Cause: Strangulation
Manner: Homicide
Death recorded at 10:35 a.m.
Incident recorded at 11:19 a.m.
SubX.News® Crime Report | October 23, 2026
CHICAGO — A 58-year-old Chicago landlord reportedly walked into a South Side police station Thursday morning and admitted strangling a 36-year-old woman inside a Chatham apartment where another woman reported being sexually assaulted at gunpoint, according to Chicago police records cited by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cook County Medical Examiner records independently confirm that a 36-year-old Black woman died from strangulation at 8119 S. Ellis Avenue, Apartment 2, on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Her death has been officially classified as a homicide.
Police were questioning the landlord Friday, October 23, but no criminal charges had been announced as of 4:48 p.m., when the Sun-Times published its report.
Tenant Reports Sexual Assault and Woman's Body Inside Apartment
A friend of a 28-year-old woman contacted Chicago's 911 emergency system at approximately 9:20 a.m. Thursday, reporting that the woman's landlord had sexually assaulted her at gunpoint inside an apartment in the 8100 block of South Ellis Avenue.
During the reported assault, the 28-year-old woman noticed another woman lying on a nearby couch who appeared to be dead, according to police and Office of Emergency Management and Communications records cited by the Sun-Times.
The 28-year-old woman was transported to Advocate Trinity Hospital for medical treatment, where a sexual assault evidence collection kit was administered.
Investigators have not publicly established the relationship between the two women or the circumstances that brought the homicide victim to the apartment.
Landlord Reportedly Walks Into Police Station and Confesses
A 58-year-old man identified as the building's landlord reportedly entered the Grand Crossing District police station at approximately the same time as the emergency call.
According to the Chicago police report cited by the Sun-Times, the man admitted killing the woman by strangulation.
Officers subsequently conducted a well-being check at the South Ellis Avenue apartment.
Police found the apartment door locked and received no response from inside. Chicago Fire Department personnel forced entry and discovered the 36-year-old woman unresponsive on a couch in the living room.
Her body was reportedly unclothed and covered with a sheet.
Medical personnel from the University of Chicago Medical Center pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
Police have not publicly identified the deceased woman or released a detailed account of what happened before the reported confession.
Medical Examiner Confirms Strangulation Homicide
Cook County Medical Examiner case ME2026-05651 provides independent documentation of the woman's death.
The official public database identifies the victim as a 36-year-old Black female and lists strangulation as the primary cause of death.
Her manner of death is classified as homicide.
The incident location is recorded as 8119 S. Ellis Avenue, Apartment 2, in Chicago's Chatham community, 8th Ward.
Medical Examiner records list the woman's residence as Algonquin, Illinois, approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
The database records the date and time of death as October 22, 2026, at 10:35 a.m., while the incident timestamp is listed as 11:19 a.m.
Those timestamps differ from the approximately 9:20 a.m. emergency call reported by the Sun-Times. The records do not explain the difference or establish what each timestamp represents.
The Medical Examiner's determination establishes that the death was a homicide, but it does not independently identify the person responsible.
Suspect's Criminal History Dates Back to 1985
Court records reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times reportedly show that the 58-year-old person of interest has been charged in dozens of Cook County criminal cases dating back to at least 1985.
His criminal history includes convictions involving sexual offenses, armed robbery, arson, illegal fi***rm possession, and aggravated battery.
In 1987, the man pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse and was placed on probation.
Two weeks later, he was charged in another sexual offense case. In 1988, he pleaded guilty to two aggravated criminal sexual offense counts and received a six-year state prison sentence.
Court records also show that he pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 1992 and received a 10-year prison sentence.
On the same day, he pleaded guilty to another violent felony and received an additional two-year sentence, according to the newspaper's review.
Subsequent convictions resulted in prison sentences for arson, illegal gun possession, and aggravated battery.
In the aggravated battery prosecution, prosecutors also filed attempted first-degree murder charges. The available reporting does not establish that he was convicted of attempted murder.
His most recently reported conviction occurred in 2019, when he pleaded guilty to burglary and received two years of probation.
Sun-Times did not identify the man in the article.
Questions About Landlord's Criminal History and Apartment
The reported criminal history raises additional questions about the man's role as a landlord and the circumstances surrounding the two women inside the apartment.
Publicly available reporting does not establish whether the 58-year-old owned the building, managed it for another owner, or collected rent on behalf of a property owner.
No property ownership documents, lease records, or housing inspection records have been provided identifying his legal relationship to the apartment.
His previous convictions also do not establish that he committed the newly reported crimes. Investigators must determine the evidence supporting any potential charges.
Records concerning the building's ownership, management, inspection history, and prior police calls could provide additional information about the property and any previous complaints.
Police Investigation and Unanswered Questions
Area 2 detectives are investigating the strangulation homicide and the reported sexual assault.
Several questions remain unanswered, including when the 36-year-old woman entered the apartment, whether she knew the landlord or tenant, and when the fatal strangulation occurred.
Police have not publicly explained the circumstances of the landlord's reported confession, whether investigators recovered a fi***rm, or whether additional witnesses were interviewed.
Original incident report, 911 dispatch chronology, investigative supplements, and any subsequent arrest records could establish a more complete timeline.
As of the Sun-Times report published Friday afternoon, the landlord remained a person of interest and no charges had been announced.
Sources
Cook County Medical Examiner public case database, ME2026-05651, October 22–23, 2026.
Cook County Medical Examiner Daily Case Ledger, October 23, 2026.
Chicago Sun-Times, October 23, 2026, 4:48 p.m. CDT, reporting based on Chicago Police Department records, Office of Emergency Management and Communications records, and Cook County court records.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/10/23/man-sexually-assaults-tenant-at-gunpoint-after-strangling-another-woman-in-same-chatham-apartment-police-say
