A Chicago man was killed during a dinner after he called someone out for putting his hands in Thanksgiving leftovers.
The Chicago Tribune reported that James Dixon, 29, got into an argument with Vincell Jackson, 52, the boyfriend of the woman hosting the post-Thanksgiving dinner. Dixon consumed “numerous alcoholic drinks” prior to the argument, the Tribune reported.
The argument occurred toward the end of the party when Dixon allegedly “began digging into the leftover food with his bare hands, authorities said during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube,” the Tribune reported.
Chicago has instituted some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions, including a recent campaign aimed at getting people to avoid family gatherings for holidays.
“During the bail hearing, where Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Dixon held on $350,000 bail, prosecutors said the host became alarmed by Dixon’s act and that Jackson forcefully escorted him to the home’s front door,” the outlet reported. “During this time, Dixon sucker-punched the older man and the fight moved to the home’s front porch, Assistant State’s Attorney Susie Bucaro told the judge.”
While many people witnessed the fight, no one apparently saw the stabbing, prosecutors said. Witnesses said Dixon was the aggressor in the situation, while Jackson tried to call for police. Those who saw the end of the fight said Jackson was on top of Dixon begging someone to call 911. A person who went out to the front porch of the house saw Dixon running away and Jackson leaning over a banister, dying.
Jackson was stabbed nine times, including wounds to his head, face, and left arm, the Tribune reported. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead, with his death ruled a homicide.
“Dixon was arrested about eight hours later in possession of multiple knives, including one covered in blood, Bucaro told the court. He suffered only a minor cut to his hand consistent with an injury during a stabbing, she added,” the Tribune reported. “Dixon’s court-appointed attorney, Patrick Ryan, pushed back, saying his client had a valid self-defense claim and suffered several wounds to his body protecting himself. But Bucaro countered that several attendees called Dixon the aggressor, with the victim calling for law enforcement help.”
The New York Post reported that Dixon is “a Walmart worker with three prior felony convictions, including arson” and that prosecutors “had sought to keep him held without bail until trial.”
Judge Ortiz, however, said prosecutors hadn’t presented enough evidence to keep Dixon in jail without bail ahead of his trial, though she did set a high bail amount.
Before leaving the courtroom on Sunday, Dixon asked Ortiz how long he might serve if convicted.
“I was just asking, how much does the case carry?” Dixon asked, according to the Post.
“First-degree murder from 20 to 60 years, sir,” Ortiz responded.
The Tribune reported that Dixon’s next court appearance is scheduled for later this week.
Correction: The headline and story have been corrected to show that Dixon stuck his hands in the Thanksgiving leftovers, not Jackson.