CHICAGO -- A 22-year-old man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a frenzied stabbing and beating rampage that left four people dead in a matter of minutes in a northern Illinois city, authorities said Thursday.
Christian Soto is also charged with seven counts of attempted murder and home invasion with a dangerous weapon following the attacks in Rockford on Wednesday. Seven people were injured.
Court and jail records show Soto appeared in court briefly Thursday afternoon and remains held without bail. He is next due in court Tuesday when a judge will determine whether he stays in jail pending trial.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, who was clearly shaken and struggled to hold back tears during a news conference Thursday, listed the victims as 63-year-old Romona Schupbach; 23-year-old Jacob Schupbach; 49-year-old Jay Larson; and 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb.
Three people remained hospitalized Thursday, officials said. The other four were treated and released, Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said.
Authorities have released little information about Soto, who was arrested Wednesday. A woman who identified herself as Soto's sister declined to comment to The Associated Press.
Redd said Soto acted alone and that police do not know his motive for the attacks.
She said Soto and Jacob Schupbach had grown up together. Soto told police that the two were smoking marijuana at Schupbach's home before the attack, Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley said.
"Soto said that he believes that drugs provided to him by Jacob were laced with an unknown narcotic," Hanley said. "Soto said he became paranoid after the drug usage. He said he retrieved a knife from the kitchen ... and proceeded to stab" his friend and his friend's mother to death.
Hanley provided details of the deadly attacks that quickly unfolded in a neighborhood of ranch-style homes soon after 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Redd said less than 20 minutes passed between the initial 911 call and Soto's arrest.
Rockford police responded first to a home on Holmes Street, where they found the bodies of Jacob Schupbach and his mother, Romona.
Hanley said officers next found Larson alive in a front yard on nearby Winnetka Drive, but he had been stabbed multiple times and died soon after in a hospital.
A witness said he heard a commotion and saw a man beating Larson on the grass near his home, Hanley said. The witness dialed 911 as the attacker walked toward his locked front door. The attacker retrieved a knife from a black pickup and stabbed Larson before driving over him twice and running away.
Soto told police that he recalled "taking out the mailman," Hanley said.
Around that time, police began receiving 911 calls about an attack on nearby Cleveland Avenue.
A woman and her adult son and daughter told officers that a man armed with a knife forced his way into their home. The man stabbed the mother near her left eye as she opened the door to let their dog out, Hanley said. Her children fought with Soto and also were wounded.
Residents then flagged down first responders about another attack on the same street, Hanley said.
Jenna Newcomb and a friend were watching a movie in her basement and Jenna's sister was upstairs when Soto entered their house through an unlocked door. Hanley said one of the girls later told police Soto "was covered in blood." He beat all three teens with a baseball bat and Jenna died in the attack. The girls who survived are 14 and 15.
Information for this article was contributed by Rhonda Shafner of The Associated Press.
This photo provided by Winnebago County, Ill., Sheriff's Office shows Christian Ivan Soto. Soto, 22, of Rockford, Ill., who was charged Thursday, March 28, 2024, with first-degree murder in a stabbing rampage that killed four people in northern Illinois, Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley said. (Winnebago County Sheriff's Office via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation. law enforcement personnel work at the scene, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Rockford, Ill., where four people were killed and five were wounded in stabbings in northern Illinois. Redd said that a suspect is in police custody and was being questioned. She said police did not know the motive. (WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation. emergency personnel work at the scene, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Rockford, Ill., where four people were killed and five were wounded in stabbings in northern Illinois. Redd said that a suspect is in police custody and was being questioned. She said police did not know the motive. (WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation via AP)
In this image taken from video provided by WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation. Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd speaks with the media, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Rockford, Ill. Authorities say four people were killed and five were wounded in stabbings in northern Illinois. Redd said that a suspect is in police custody and was being questioned. She said police did not know the motive. (WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV/NewsNation via AP)
Police investigate stabbings Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Rockford, Ill., that left several people dead and others injured. A 22-year-old man is in police custody and was being questioned Wednesday afternoon, according to Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP)
Police tape surrounds many homes as police investigate a mass stabbing along the 2300 block of Holmes Street on March 27, 2024, in Rockford, Ill. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP)