Son Of 'Chicago Fire' Tech Advisor Dies After 'Savage' Beating

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A man found brutally beaten over the weekend in an Evergreen Park home has died of his injuries. David Chikerotis, 31, of Oak Forest, died Monday afternoon at 5:43 p.m. He had been on life support at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Chikerotis had been taken unresponsive from a home in the 8700 block of South Francisco Avenue after his brother had called Evergreen Park police to request a well-being check. Police found Chikerotis unconscious in the blood-splattered home around 8:20 a.m. He was put on life support after surgery. Chikerotis suffered severe head trauma caused by the beating.

Jonathan Owens, 30, and Jessica Doherty, 26, both of Chicago, and Stacy L. Krisik, 33, of Evergreen Park appeared for a bond hearing Monday at the Bridgeview Courthouse. The three were each charged with attempted murder. The prosecutor said they were friends with Chikerotis. Charges will be upgraded to murder.

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Police said the beating began after a disagreement during a card game, after an evening of drinking and drug use. Chikerotis is believed to have been beaten over a three-hour period. His alleged assailants took breaks between beatings to smoke marijuana, the prosecutor said.

Another woman, described as Chikerotis’s girlfriend, was present during the beating, but did not participate in the attack, the prosecutor said. Not wanting to involve police, she called Chikerotis’s brother to come get him. Chikerotis pleaded with his brother not to come because he feared that Owens, Doherty and Krisik would kill him, the prosecutor said. By the time police arrived, Chikerotis was already unconscious.

The crime scene was said to be so horrific, Evergreen Park police requested the assistance of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. The three were denied bond Monday afternoon, with Cook County Judge John Mahoney describing the alleged attack as "savagely violent."

Chikerotis is the son of retired Chicago Fire Chief Steve Chikerotis, who serves as a technical advisor to “Chicago Fire,” CFD spokesman Larry Langford told the Chicago Tribune.