Sister Was 'Terrified' Of Orland Man Charged In Father's Slaying: Prosecutors

ORLAND PARK, IL — The sister of an Orland Park man charged in their father's murder was "terrified" of him after past outbursts and run-ins with police, prosecutors said Thursday.

Charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 77-year-old father, Ibrahim Kassem suffers from schizophrenia and paranoia and is not compliant with medications, according to court documents. The family had previously tried to have him involuntarily committed in October 2025, but the request was denied, prosecutors said.

Subscribe

Samir Kassem was found dead April 29 in his bedroom in the home he shared with his 46-year-old son, Orland Park police said. Autopsy results showed he died from multiple traumatic wounds to his neck and a severed carotid artery.

Police quickly identified Ibrahim as a suspect, and he was arrested and charged with his father's murder on May 1.

Judge William Fahy on Thursday ordered Ibrahim detained until trial.

"This was a particularly brutal, violent attack of a 76-year-old man who suffered a horrible fate at the hands of his son," Fahy said.

In the weeks before the killing, Ibrahim Kassem had two run-ins with police, prosecutors said in a pre-trial detention hearing Thursday. One early morning call on April 13 involved a suspicious vehicle at Home Depot—a white Ford Home Depot van Kassem said he rented daily. Hours later that same day, police encountered Kassem again, this time after he reportedly pulled out two knives in response to someone's dog, court documents outline.

Kassem then traveled to Iowa and, on April 26, called asking his father for money. Samir Kassem sent the money the same day, prosecutors said. Ibrahim Kassem later returned home, his father said, likely because he owed money for the van rental.

Family last saw Samir the afternoon of April 28 and became alarmed when he did not attend Mosque on April 29, as was his routine. A location service on his phone indicated he was still at home, and family went to check on him. The victim's niece found him lying in his bed, "covered in blood and missing a chunk of skin from his leg," prosecutors said.

Police at the scene found Samir on his back in the bed, with a bone protruding from his leg. He also had visible injuries to his arms. Blood was found on the stairs and in the hallway, prosecutors said.

Police found a bloodied baseball bat at the scene and a bloody knife in the dishwasher, police said. The home was equipped with video surveillance, but the cameras were not operating on the date of the murder.

Video from a neighbor’s camera showed Ibrahim returning home in the white van on April 29 just after 8 a.m., prosecutors said. He was inside the house for nearly three hours, leaving just before 11 a.m. Police said video showed him carrying a black garbage bag that he put in the van before driving away.

In the early afternoon, Ibrahim then visited a coin shop, where he sold an employee there several hundred rare pennies, the employee told police. Samir was known to collect coins, family told police.

Later that evening, police en route to check for the rental van at Home Depot saw it at a Fuller's Car Wash at 156th and Harlem. Ibrahim was seen outside the van speaking with an employee before driving away. Police pulled Ibrahim over in the parking lot of Home Depot and took him into custody.

Police confiscated Ibrahim's phone from inside the van and towed the vehicle to the police department. A search warrant was executed on the van, and police found the bag Ibrahim had been seen placing inside it. Inside it, police found a knife with blood, gardening gloves "drenched in suspect blood," as well as clothing with apparent blood stains. Also recovered in the van were a container full of coins, multiple knives and a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Family said Samir was known to keep collectible coins in his bedroom, and "no one was allowed to touch them."

Ibrahim's sister, brother, cousin and daughter identified him in a still photo taken from the coin shop's surveillance video and told police the jar seen in that photo was the type Kassem would use. Family members were also able to positively identify the coin jar retrieved from inside the van, prosecutors said.

Evidence photos taken while Ibrahim was in lockup showed blood stains on the front and back of his shirt. His only visible injury was a laceration on his right forearm, prosecutors said.

He was ordered to remain in custody until trial.

Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson contributed to this report.