An Oxford University worker and an American bubonic plague expert are accused of stabbing a Chicago hairdresser more than 70 times as part of a sexual fantasy killing.
Andrew Warren, 56, and US academic Wyndham Lathem, 42, have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, a 26-year-old hairdresser who was Lathem's boyfriend, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The accused allegedly chatted online for months about their shared fantasy of killing other people and themselves, Assistant State's Attorney Natosha Toller told a court in Chicago.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lathem's attorney said the case against his client appears to hinge on statements Warren made to police.
"The state's proffer seemed to be based in large part on the statement of Andrew Warren, a self-confessed murderer," attorney Adam Sheppard told the Chicago Sun-Times. "We are conducting our own investigation. It's already under way and we will have facts which differ from those proffered at the bond hearing."
According to police and autopsy reports, Cornell-Duranleau was stabbed repeatedly in his back, chest, shoulder and abdomen and his throat was slit while he was sleeping in Lathem's apartment.
Lathem, an associate professor at Chicago's Northwestern University, specialises in research surrounding the Black Death. Warren worked as a senior treasury assistant at Somerville College, Oxford.
The men surrendered to police in California after a national manhunt. Both will remain in jail pending trial, says the Associated Press.
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Wikipedia: Is ‘neutrality’ still possible?Feature Wikipedia struggles to stay neutral as conservatives accuse the site of being left-leaning
-
A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
