Global InformationList of homicides in Illinois information
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This is a list of homicides in Illinois. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of Illinois that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into five subject areas as follows:
- Multiple homicides – homicides having multiple victims. It includes incidents such as the 1886 Haymarket affair, the 1966 murder of six student nurses by Richard Speck, and the 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders
- Serial killers – persons who murder three or more persons, with the incidents taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. This includes John Wayne Gacy, the most prolific serial killer in Illinois history.
- Organized crime – notable homicides involving the Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago. These include the 1929 Saint Valentine's Day Massacre and the 1977 murder of Sam Giancana.
- Lynchings and race riots – homicides associated with lynching and race riots. These include the 1844 Killing of Joseph Smith and the Chicago race riot of 1919.
- Single homicides – notable homicides involving a single fatality which do not fall within the scope of one of the above categories. These incidents include the 1924 murder of Bobby Franks by Leopold and Loeb.
This article does not include military battles fought in Illinois. Such battles, including battles fought during the Black Hawk War, may be found at List of battles fought in Illinois.
This article also does not include people who have been executed in Illinois. Such persons are listed separately at List of people executed in Illinois.
Listed in chronological order
| Incident | Location | Date | Deaths | Description | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lively massacre | Washington County | 1813 | 3 | Native Americans killed John Lively, his wife and their children | [1] |
| Indian Creek massacre | LaSalle County | 1832-05-21 | 15 | Attack by Native Americans on white settlers after settlers built a dam that prevented fish from reaching Potawatomi village | [2] |
| St. Vrain massacre | Pearl City | 1832-05-24 | 4 | White Indian agent and three companions killed in an attack by Native Americans | |
| Charleston riot | Charleston | 1864-03-28 | 9 | Clash between Union soldiers and Republicans, on one side, and Democrats known as Copperheads, on other side | [3] |
| Haymarket affair | Chicago | 1886-05-04 | 12 | Rally in support of eight-hour work day, including protester throwing dynamite bomb at police and police opening fire on protesters | [4] |
| Battle of Virden | Virden | 1898-10-12 | 13 | Labor union and racial conflict during a strike by the United Mine Workers | [5] |
| Pana riot | Pana | 1899-04-10 | 7 | Coal mining labor dispute and racial conflict, part of the Illinois coal wars | [6] |
| Herrin massacre | Herrin | 1922-06-21/22 | 23 | Labor violence during coal strike | [7] |
| 1937 Memorial Day massacre | Chicago | 1937-05-30 | 10 | Chicago police shot and killed 10 unarmed demonstrators during Little Steel strike | [8] |
| James Morelli | Chicago | 1947-12-12 | 3 | Mad Dog killings | [9][10] |
| Murder of the Grimes sisters | Chicago | 1956-12-28 | 2 | Sisters ages 12 and 15 disappeared returning home from movie theater, bodies discovered three weeks later | [11][12] |
| Chester Weger | Starved Rock State Park | 1960-03 | 3 | Murdered three middle-aged women, wives of prominent Chicago businessmen | [13] |
| Richard Speck | Chicago | 1966-07-13 | 8 | Murdered eight student nurses in their Chicago residence | [14] |
| Simon Nelson | Rockford | 1978-01-07 | 6 | Rockford man killed his six children (ages 3 to 12) and the family dog | [15] |
| Latin Kings murders | Chicago | 1979-02-25 | 3 | Three teenagers were found with their throats slashed in a car in Chicago. They were murdered after asking Latin Kings members where they could buy marijuana. | [16] |
| Kenneth Allen | Chicago | 1979-03-03 | 2 | Convicted of killing two Chicago police officers | |
| Chicago Tylenol murders | Chicago | 1982 | 7 | Poisoning deaths resulting from placing potassium cyanide in Tylenol capsules in Chicago metropolitan area | [17] |
| Charles Walker | St. Clair County | 1983-06-18 | 2 | Murdered a young couple after robbing them, later executed | [18][19] |
| Dardeen family homicides | Ina | 1987-11-17 | 4 | Family murdered in mobile home | [20] |
| Murder of Nick Corwin | Winnetka | 1988-05-20 | 2 | Mentally ill woman shot eight-year-old boy at elementary school and then committed suicide | [21] |
| Jeffrey and Jill Erickson | Chicago | 4 | Bank robber killed a marshall and a police detective, then committed suicide | [22][23] | |
| Michael Alfonso | 1992, 2001 | 2 | Committed two murders, listed on FBI's Ten Most Wanted list | ||
| Brown's Chicken massacre | Palatine | 1993-01-08 | 7 | Two robbers killed seven employees at a fast-food restaurant | [24] |
| Mark Winger | Springfield | 1995-08-29 | 2 | Former nuclear power plant technician murdered his wife and a van driver | [25] |
| 1999 Independence Day weekend shootings | Illinois, Indiana | 1999-07-04 | 3 | White supremacist murdered Orthodox Jews | [26][27] |
| Jorge Avila-Torrez | Zion | 2005-05 | 3 | Killed two girls, ages 8 and 9, on Mother's Day | |
| Lane Bryant shooting | Tinley Park | 2008-02-02 | 5 | Mass murder and armed robbery at clothing outlet | [28] |
| Northern Illinois University shooting | DeKalb | 2008-02-14 | 6 | Mass shooting on a crowd of students | [29] |
| Murder of Jason Hudson | Chicago | 2008-10-24 | 2 | Brother and mother of singer Jennifer Hudson shot at their home | [30][31] |
| Gage Park murders | Chicago | 2016-02-02 | 6 | Six members of Martinez family murdered in house in Gage Park, Chicago | [32] |
| Duck Walk Killer | Chicago | 2 | Unsolved spree killing in Rogers Park neighborhood | ||
| Mercy Hospital shooting | Chicago | 2018-11-19 | 4 | Mass shooting at hospital | |
| Aurora, Illinois shooting | Aurora | 2019-02-15 | 6 | Mass shooting at Henry Pratt Company | [33] |
| 2019 Goodfield arson | Goodfield | 2019-04-06 | 5 | Arson fire in mobile home started by nine-year-old boy | |
| 2021 Chicago - Evanston shootings | Chicago and Evanston | 2021-01-09 | 6 | Random shooting spree | |
| Magnificent Mile shooting | Chicago | 2022-05-19 | 2 | Mass shooting in shopping district | |
| Highland Park parade shooting | Highland Park | 2022-07-04 | 7 | Mass shooting at Independence Day parade, also 48 wounded | |
| Death of Sania Khan | Chicago | 2022-07-18 | 2 | Man shot estranged wife after she posted about divorce experience on TikTok, then committed suicide | |
| 2024 Joliet shootings | Preston Heights & Joliet | 2024-01-21 | 8 | Man opened fire at multiple locations, killing seven family members and an unrelated victim |
- ^ Carol Mercer (February 6, 2020). "1813 Lively Massacre Remembered". County Journal.
- ^ Scanlan, Charles Martin. Indian Creek Massacre and Captivity of Hall Girls. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: REIC Publishing, 1915.
- Stevens, Frank E. The Black Hawk War: Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life. Chicago, 1903.
- ^ "The Charleston Riot of 1864". University of Illinois. March 31, 2020.
- ^ "The Haymarket Affair". Illinois Labor History Society. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Markwell, David (2006). "A Turning Point: The Lasting Impact of the 1898 Virden Mine Riot". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 99 (3/4). Journal of Illinois State Historical Society: 211–227. JSTOR 40193882. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ David Markwell (2006). "A Turning Point: The Lasting Impact of the 1898 Virden Mine Riot". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 99 (3/4): 211–227. JSTOR 40193882. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Remembering the Herrin Massacre 100 years later". Illinois Public Media. June 21, 2022.
- ^ "Memorial Day Massacre". Illinois Labor History Society. 22 January 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Found Guilty in 'Mad Dog' Slaying of 3". Chicago Tribune. 16 June 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Two Get Long Prison Terms; Chicago 'Mad Dog' Killers Sentenced". The Rock Island Argus. 16 June 1948. p. 25. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ The Two Lost Girls: The Mystery of the Grimes Sisters ISBN 978-1-892-52398-3 p. 11
- ^ "Sixty Years Later, the Case of the Elvis Presley-loving Grimes Sisters' Murders Remains Cold". New York Daily News. December 24, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- ^ Frank Main (February 18, 2023). "Paroled in Starved Rock killings after nearly 60 years in prison, Chester Weger seeks a hearing to prove his innocence". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Altman, Jack; Ziporyn, Marvin (1967). Born to Raise Hell : The Untold Story of Richard Speck. New York City: Grove Press. OCLC 295373.
- ^ "From the Archives: Simon Peter Nelson murders his six children, family dog". Rockford Register Star. May 5, 2017.
- ^ "JURY TOLD OF 1979 TRIPLE GANG SLAYING". Chicago Tribune. February 7, 1992. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ^ "The Chicago Tylenol Murders". Chicago History Museum. 28 September 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Illinois Executes Murderer of 2". The New York Times. September 12, 1990. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
- ^ "Oklahoma Killer Is Put To Death". The New York Times. September 11, 1990. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
- ^ "Gruesome murder of an Illinois family remains unsolved as the main suspect is executed". KMOV. January 21, 2022.
- ^ "Vintage Chicago Tribune: Revisiting the Hubbard Woods Elementary School shooting and Laurie Dann". Chicago Tribune. May 26, 2022.
- ^ Green, Michelle (March 2, 1992) "Bloody Ending to a Double Life", People. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ Harrison, Eric (July 21, 1992) "3 Die in Chicago Courthouse Shooting: Violence: A Bank Robbery Suspect Grabs a Gun and Kills Two Guards and Himself. It is the Latest in a Series of Attacks in the Nation's Halls of Justice", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ "Brown's Chicken massacre: 30 years later, investigator reflects on tech advances that solved case". ABC7Chicago. January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Winger convicted in deaths of wife, van driver". Associated Press. June 5, 2002. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06.
- ^ Edward Walsh (July 4, 1999). "Gunman Fires at Minorities in Illinois". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Midwest shooting spree ends with apparent suicide of suspect". CNN. July 5, 1999.
- ^ "The Lane Bryant murders: Open case". Chicago Tribune. January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Mass shooting leaves six dead and 21 injured in Cole Hall (2008)". Northern Illinois University. 20 January 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Sophia Tareen (October 27, 2008). "Singer's 7-year-old nephew found dead in SUV". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ writer (October 28, 2008). "ME: Hudson's nephew shot multiple times". UPI. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ^ "Gage Park murders: Diego Uribe found guilty of killing 6 relatives in Chicago home in 2016". ABC7Chicago. October 5, 2022.
- ^ "Aurora remembers mass shooting victims 4 years after workplace rampage at Henry Pratt warehouse". ABC7Chicago. February 15, 2023.