Lake Villa Man Fatally Stabbed During Bears Weekend In Florida
LAKE VILLA, Ill. (CBS) – A 42-year-old Lake Villa man was fatally stabbed early Sunday while staying in Jacksonville, Fla. to watch the Bears take on the Jaguars.
Police in Florida say William Christopher Pettry died after an altercation at a bar.
Pettry was involved in a disturbance with two other people inside a restaurant called Fionn McCool's and was stabbed by one of them, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a written statement. He died from his injuries.
Pettry's aunt, Lillie Asbury of Chicago, says her nephew, who was known as Chris, did nothing wrong.
"He didn't harass anyone. He didn't have any confrontation with anyone," she told CBS 2's Dana Kozlov.
Asbury believes the man came to the bar after friends called him about his wife who was reportedly there, too.
"They both sat down on and the guy just pulled out a knife and stabbed him -- just like that," she said. "And he told the police, when asked, 'Why did you stab this man?', he said, 'I don't know.'"
A suspect in the case was detained at the scene and later arrested for murder, police said. The sheriff's office identified him as Matthew Hinson, 27, of Jacksonville.
Another relative said the bar was near the hotel where Pettry and a close friend were staying to attend Sunday's Bears game.
Pettry, a contractor, was the married father of three children who range in age from 15 to five and was a huge Bears fan, relatives said.
Asbury says her nephew rarely took a vacation -- until this weekend.
"He was so happy. He posted on Facebook, 'I'm off to see the Bears play,'" she said.
