COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The man accused of stabbing a 57-year-old outside the Art Institute on Wednesday told police he was bipolar, had stopped taking his medication and was hearing voices, prosecutors said Friday.
Michael Wims Jr., 29, appeared in bond court Friday afternoon on charges of aggravated battery and attempted murder.
Prosecutors alleged Wims approached the victim in an Art Institute south garden about 4:45 p.m. and asked for a cigarette. When the man, 57, told Wims he didn't have one, Wims pulled a steak knife and began stabbing the victim repeatedly, according to Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto.
The victim was struck in his neck, abdomen, forearm and hands, and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with "life-threatening injuries" that required surgery, Scaduto said. She added that the man's condition had stabilized as of Friday afternoon.
When police arrived, Wims told the officers he was bipolar and hadn't taken his prescribed medication in a year, according to prosecutors. He went on to tell police he was hearing voices at the time of the stabbing, Scaduto said.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan ordered Wims, of the 8100 block of South Artesian Avenue, held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Contributing: David Matthews, Josh McGhee
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
