Three charged with fatal beating of man
by CYRYL JAKUBOWSKI
Three men were charged with first degree murder in connection with a fatal beating of a homeless man who was found in a dumpster at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the 4800 block of North Lipps Avenue, according to the Chicago Police Department Office of News Affairs.
The suspects were identified by police as Daniel Morris, age 20, of the 200 block of Monterey Drive, Bolingbrook, Todd Cooper, age 35, of the 5300 block of Lynch, and Jake Tate, age 27, of the 4900 block of West Argyle Street. Tate also was charged with criminal trespass to land, police said.
According to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the four men are homeless and on Oct. 13 Tate accused the victim of stealing his phone and an argument ensued between the two and Tate allegedly told the victim that he would beat.
In the early hours of Oct. 14, Tate allegedly met up with Cooper and they discussed how they would attack the victim, the state’s attorney said. The two men discovered the victim sleeping in a doorway in the 4800 block of North Lipps Avenue and they both dragged him out into the alley and allegedly beat him until he was unconscious and later met up with Morris, according to the state’s attorney.
The state’s attorney said that the victim began moving again and set off a motion detector light and the three men returned and attacked him again, with Tate allegedly kicking the man, Morris allegedly choking the man and Copper allegedly punching the man.
When the victim was completely motionless the men pulled a garbage bin into the alley and allegedly placed the man’s body in the dumpster where he was later discovered by a janitor who works for Northwestern College, 4829 N. Lipps Ave., officials said.
The event was captured on video by a nearby business, according to the state’s attorney. Their bond was set at $2 million each in court Friday, Oct. 17.
The deceased man was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Joseph Kamen, age 45, address unknown. The cause of death was multiple injuries from beating and strangulation, the office said.
Police officers are shown on the scene where the body of a man was found in a dumpster in an alley in the 4800 block of North Lipps Avenue.
Three men have been charged with first degree murder, according to police.
(Photo by Sean Keenehan)
