No Charges in Fatal Stabbing, Joliet Police Say

Update/1:05 p.m. Tuesday:

No charges will be filed against the man accused of stabbing Jericho Parker to death because the man acted in self-defense, Joliet Police Cmdr. Brian Benton said.

Tyree Crawford, 17, had been arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery because of his role in the fatal fight Monday night in the parking lot of the S & T Food Mart, 124 Richards St., but charges were dropped after the Will County State's Attorney's Office reviewed video of the incident.

That video shows Parker as the "aggressor" in the fight and that Crawford had been walking away when Parker grabbed him from behind, prompting Crawford to pull out a knife and stab him once, Benton said.

The decision does not mean charges cannot be filed again, depending on whatever other information may be uncovered in the investigation, he said.

The fight, which took place at about 7 p.m., was actually the third of the afternoon/evening between Parker and Crawford, Benton said.

The situation came to a boil in the store parking lot, where a group of about 20 people gathered and urged the two to face off, Benton said. Video from the store and taken on cell phones by some of those in the crowd show Parker and Crawford physically fighting, he said.

Crawford can be seen walking out away and Parker attacking him from behind, but the actual stabbing occurred just out of view of the camera, Benton said. Parker is then seen staggering backwards back into the frame following the knife wound being inflicted, he said.

Parker was taken to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was prounced dead at about 8 p.m.

Crawford, accompanied by family members, turned himself in at the Joliet Police Station, 150 W. Washington St., later Monday night and confessed to his role in the fight, Benton said.

It's not known why the two were fighting, but it is not believed to be gang-related, he said. 

Original post/8:45 a.m. Tuesday:

A Joliet man is dead, the victim of an apparent homicide that occurred Monday night near the intersection of Richards Street and 1st Avenue, according to the Will County Coroner's Office.

Jericho T. Parker, 19, of 205 2nd Ave., was declared deceased at about 8 p.m. at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, the coroner's office reported.

No cause or manner of death has been released. The Joliet Police Department has not yet returned a call for more information.

Joliet Patch will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.