Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
Two sisters stabbed a security guard 27 times after being asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer. The older sister, 21-year-old Jessica Hill, stabbed the 6’5”, 270-pound security guard, while her younger sister, 18-year-old Jayla Hill, held him by his hair. In denying bail, the judge noted that “the complete randomness of the attack” was terrifying.
What Happened?
This whole thing is a little weird, so let’s see if we can unpack it.
Directly prior to the stabbing, it appeared Jayla Hill began taking out her cellphone to record the incident, perhaps believing that this was another case of institutional racism. The security guard had asked the sisters to leave Snipes shoe store after they refused to wear masks inside. However, the situation quickly got out of hand. The security guard attempted to call police after Jessica Hill told him that he was going to call someone to “kick his ass.” Hill’s sister then picked up a trash can and smashed it into the security guard’s face. The two sisters began punching the man. At some point, Jessica Hill pulled out a “comb knife” with a hidden blade and began stabbing the man repeatedly.
The security guard, however, unencumbered by the 27 stab wounds, managed to keep the two women in the store until police arrived. He was later taken to the hospital but did not require surgery. Both sisters have clean criminal records.
The Defense
The elephant in the room is the fact that the security guard was “stabbed 27 times” and yet managed to still keep the women in the store and then go get treated for his injuries none of which required surgery. Comb knives are hideable shivs that conceal the blade within the plastic part of the comb. You can easily kill someone with one or, at the very least, do significant internal damage as they can have places of three inches or longer. The defense believes that the sisters have been overcharged for the crimes and that they were, at least in part, acting in self-defense.
Self-defense does not sound like a good fit for entering a store, being asked to leave, and then attacking the person who asked you. The security guard has a right to forcibly remove individuals from the premises or call police when the situation warrants it. On the other hand, any and all of the wounds the security guard suffered were superficial. Does that matter? Yes.
The prosecution will almost certainly want to charge the women with attempted murder. However, the prosecution must also show an intent to kill. It is not entirely clear that someone who delivers 27 superficial wounds and then mocks the security guard for getting his butt kicked by two women is attempting to murder them. The charges should come down to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Talk to a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney
If you have stabbed anyone over the mask order, then you need an attorney. Call Chicago criminal defense attorney David Freidberg today at (312) 560-7100 to learn more about how we can help.
