Chicago police have finally re-arrested a Marine veteran accused of fatally stabbing a bisexual man with a box-cutter after shouting a homophobic slur.
Thomas Tansey, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 21 stabbing of Kenneth Paterimos, a 23-year-old barista who identified as bisexual, at Richard’s Bar on the city’s west side. Watch a report from CBS 2:
Tansey, who appeared intoxicated, reportedly was kicked out of the bar after he shouted the slur at Paterimos and got into an altercation with him. When Paterimos left the bar a few minutes later, Tansey stabbed him in the head, chest, arm, collarbone and ear.
After Paterimos returned to the bar and collapsed in a pool of blood, his brother chased down and tackled Tansey, restraining the suspect until police arrived. Tansey was arrested, but authorities inexplicably released him a few days later after he claimed self-defense.
Late last week, amid outrage from Paterimos’ family, a judge issued a murder warrant for Tansey’s arrest, and he was taken into custody Wednesday — nearly two weeks after the killing. Tansey was scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing today.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Tansey served in Afghanistan, and rose to the rank of Marine corporal before being discharged in 2013. He previously was charged with battery and unlawful use of a weapon following a road-rage incident in the Chicago suburbs in 2016. Tansey also has a history of erratic behavior, including harassing University of Illinois-Chicago students in his neighborhood, according to BlockClubChicago.org.
On Tuesday, hundreds of Paterimos’ family members and supporters gathered outside Richard’s Bar to demand justice in the case. Watch a report on the protest below.
