COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A man just out of prison for domestic battery stabbed his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter to death — and then taunted her mother by text message, prosecutors alleged in court Tuesday.
John Singleton is charged in Sunday's brutal beating and stabbing death of Alexis Stubbs, who considered Singleton her "daddy." She shouted "Please, daddy, don't" as he attacked her with a hammer and then stabbed her, prosecutors said.
Singleton in 2014 was sentenced to three years in prison for strangling Stubbs' mother in front of Alexis, prosecutors said. He was released on parole in April and temporarily moved in with Alexis and her mom June 7.
The duo lived in public housing in Uptown, where Singleton, 31, was only allowed to visit for a week, Assistant State's Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said during a bond hearing.
It was an argument over that housing situation and cigarettes that culminated in Singleton attacking 12-year-old Alexis with a hammer before fatally stabbing her 11 times about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, prosecutors said.
The girl had known Singleton for four years and considered him to be her stepfather.
As Alexis' mother frantically called 911 and applied pressure to the girl's wounds, prosecutors said, Singleton ran off and began sending Alexis' mother "taunting text messages." Police later arrested Singleton hiding in a nearby portable toilet at a construction site.
In one of the messages, Singleton wrote, "See wat u made me do from not appreciate me like u should have done n tha first place ... I really hope DCFS take her from u if only she survive what I done to her because u done luv her as u say u do cuz u just left her to get killed u b---- I wish death on you," Lisuzzo said.
Another said, "U f---ing made me kill my only child all because u ain't wanna come n tha house u s--- startin b----."
Singleton allegedly later wrote: "Tears I'm cryin for wat u done misty. Damn n it ain't never have to turn out this way u just had to call tha cops. Why?"
Singleton is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated harm to police. Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil on Tuesday denied Singleton bail.
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According to prosecutors, Alexis' mother stayed in touch with Singleton while served his sentence for strangling her from late 2014 to April of this year.
The pair began dating again, prosecutors said, and got into a heated argument Sunday night about cigarettes and housing. Alexis and her mom briefly left their home in the 4600 block of North Beacon Street to buy cigarettes, prosecutors said; the mother told Singleton to leave before she returned.
When Alexis and her mom returned, Alexis headed inside about 9:40 p.m. to give cigarettes to a neighbor, Lisuzzo said. Her mother waited outside in her car.
Singleton confronted Alexis — pulling the girl's hair before shoving her into the building's vestibule and throwing her to the ground, according to prosecutors.
Surveillance cameras captured Singleton pulling a hammer from his pocket and waving it near the girl, "who was cowering on the floor in fear," Lisuzzo said. Singleton soon pushed the girl into her apartment, while her mother called 911 from outside.
At that point, prosecutors said, Singleton repeatedly tried to call Alexis' mother via cell phone. In a call that went to voicemail, Alexis can be heard screaming, "Please daddy, don't."
Police arrived on the scene about 9:45 p.m. Sunday to find Singleton running down the hallway with a bloody hammer and knife, Lisuzzo said. Police lost sight of the man, who was later arrested found hiding in the portable toilet in the 4500 block of North Dover Street about 3:15 a.m. Monday.
Alexis can be seen on surveillance footage crawling out of her apartment toward her mother, who'd rushed inside when police arrived.
Alexis was "drenched in blood," Lisuzzo said. She couldn't speak and was gasping for breath; she was "scared, restless and writhing in pain." Lisuzzo said Alexis' mother wiped blood from the girl's face and applied pressure to her wounds.
An autopsy would later reveal that Alexis was stabbed in her right shoulder, right bicep, right breast, right hip, right flank, left shoulder, right arm and right forearm, according to prosecutors. She was also stabbed in her back multiple times.
Alexis was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center at 10:46 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Singleton confessed to hitting Alexis multiple times with a hammer and stabbing her with a knife, prosecutors said.
While in custody, Singleton punched a detective after luring Chicago Police officers into his interview room by banging on the door, prosecutors said. He once more confessed to hurting Alexis and told police he wanted them to kill him, according to officers. Moments before the outburst, Singleton could be seen on surveillance camera pacing and doing pushups.
During his bond hearing Tuesday, Singleton was shackled and accompanied by four Cook County Sheriff's deputies from the county's Emergency Response Team. The men donned tactical gear and carried stun guns.
A sergeant with the Sheriff's Office told Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil that there'd been "a problem" with Singleton while transporting him to court. No additional details were available.
Assistant Public Defender Kathryn Lisco said she's worried for Singleton's safety in Cook County Jail, 2700 S. California Ave., due to the intense media coverage his case has received.
She also said that Singleton has an extensive history of mental illness. Court documents describe Singleton as depressive and suicidal, and mention that he regularly takes psychotropic medication.
Neighbor Shielyndia McFadden, 36, on Monday remembered Alexis as "a neighborhood child. ... It's sick, disgusting, sad. She was only a 12-year-old child. She was a baby."
