COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A convicted murderer has been charged with fatally stabbing a Garfield Park man over a drug dispute.
Soldon Armstrong, 40, was convicted of murder in 1996 and sentenced to 27 years in prison, court records show.
Details about that case were not immediately available, but prosecutors on Thursday said Armstrong was out of prison when he got into a fatal fight with 25-year-old Fredrick Brown on March 1.
"Mr. Armstrong, the facts of this case and your background speak for themselves," Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. said during a bond hearing Thursday. "No bail."
According to authorities, Armstrong stole drugs from Brown in late February, and Brown decided to confront Armstrong when the pair crossed paths in the 3900 block of West Jackson Boulevard on March 1.
The men argued on a sidewalk before eventually tussling in the street, Assistant State's Attorney Brian Whang said in court Thursday.
According to witnesses, the fight appeared to die down after Brown got Armstrong in a headlock and eventually released his grip, prosecutors said.
But Armstrong soon lunged for Brown's jacket and threatened to kill the man, who had stopped fighting, Whang said. That's when Armstrong pulled a knife and stabbed Brown in his chest and torso multiple times — puncturing Brown's heart, Whang said.
Brown fell to the ground and was later pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Armstrong walked away and was later identified by multiple witnesses as the assailant, prosecutors said. Portions of the fight were caught on surveillance footage.
Armstrong, of the 3900 block of West Gladys Avenue, was arrested on a warrant this week and charged with first-degree murder.
He will be held without bail pending trial. If Armstrong is convicted in this case, he will face a mandatory life sentence.
