COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Shot in the stomach in his Beverly home by a man prosecutors say he had once been romantically involved with, Kyle Arrington fought off death for more than a month.
But the 34-year-old South Side father eventually died of the wounds he suffered when David Twine allegedly shot him and left him bleeding on the floor of his apartment in the 9900 block of South Walden Pkwy., prosecutors said.
In court, prosecutors said the gunman and victim "had a previous bisexual relationship."
Twine, 32, of south suburban Matteson, was originally charged with aggravated battery with a firearm. On Wednesday, several weeks after Arrington died in the hospital, he stood before a judge again, this time accused of first-degree murder.
Twine allegedly shot Arrington in the stomach multiple times on May 15 with a gun belonging to the dead mother of Arrington's girlfriend, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Amanda Pillsbury said. He then ran away.
The girlfriend returned to the apartment and found Arrington bleeding on the floor, Pillsbury said.
Twine, identified as the shooter by Arrington, was arrested by U.S. marshals soon after in Arkansas. A Cook County judge increased Twine's bond to $900,000 on Wednesday after hearing the allegations against him.
At the time of the shooting, relatives of Arrington said a Facebook comment he made led to the crime.
According to family and friends, Arrington and Twine were high school buddies. But on Wednesday, prosecutors said the two had previously been in a sexual relationship.
“We hadn’t seen this boy in a couple of years,” the victim's mother, Marcia Arrington, said soon after he died. “He just kind of came out of the woodwork and had some issue with Kyle.”
Twine had accused Arrington of posting a negative comment about him on Facebook, family and neighbors said. The two reportedly had an argument about a week before the shooting.
Twine "came back the next week and just started shooting,” Marcia Arrington said.
Marcia Arrington, a longtime teacher who once had Twine as a student, claimed the former Marine had become “paranoid” and “more and more erratic” since leaving the military.
According to prosecutors, the investigation revealed Twine had numerous guns. Bomb-making manuals were also recovered from his house.
“I’m very sorry that he shot my son, obviously,” Marcia Arrington said. “But he was a victim, too, in so many ways.”
Maj. Shawn Haney, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, said Twine served from 2001 to 2006. He was a lance corporal who specialized in airframe mechanics and had served at posts in Florida and Washington.
In 2002, Twine was deployed to Saudi Arabia for “Operation Southern Watch.” He earned several medals, including the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Haney said.
For family members fully expecting Arrington to recover, his death was a shock.
Doctors told Arrington's family members that he would likely be able to go home in late June. He was responding well to treatment, posting sporadic Facebook updates and prayers from the hospital.
But Arrington ultimately succumbed to his injuries, and died at 6:20 a.m. on June 20 at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
At the time of his death, family and friends said Arrington, who recently had gone back to college to study mental health counseling, was “loud,“ “funny” and “full of life.”
“He just kind of filled the room,” said his sister, Stacy Arrington Carter, 38. “He loved the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Bears. He loved Chicago. It’s the city he loved and the city that took him.”
