Judge detains Chicago man accused of killing brother and sisterinlaw, stabbing woman in Gage Park
Mar 26, 2025
A Cook County judge ordered a Chicago man detained after being charged with killing his brother and sister-in-law and then stabbing a woman at a nearby bar in Gage Park on the Southwest Side. Robert Romo, 57, was charged with first degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery, Chicago poli
ce said. Though he remained hospitalized Wednesday after suffering a stroke and did not appear in court, a Cook County judge ordered him detained until his next court date. Romo allegedly shot and stabbed his brother and sister-in-law inside their home Sunday in the 5300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, according to prosecutors and Chicago police. Officers responded just before 10 p.m. and found the back door of the apartment was open, and the bodies of Richard M. Romo, 63, and Rita Chavez, 64, inside, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.Richard M. Romo had called 9-1-1, according to prosecutors. Autopsies Monday determined that both died of multiple gunshot wounds and stabbing injuries and were dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Their deaths were ruled homicides.After attacking the couple, Romo allegedly went to across the street to Just One More sports bar at 5332 S. Kedzie Ave. and allegedly tried to stab a 37-year-old bouncer, according to prosecutors and a law enforcement source. After getting inside, Romo allegedly tried to shoot a bar patron, but his gun jammed. He then went into the women’s restroom, where he allegedly stabbed a woman multiple times, the source said.She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was listed in good condition, officials said.Minutes after the attacks, Romo, of the Clearing neighborhood, was tased by officers outside the bar as he held a knife in one hand and the gun in the other, the source said. His next court date is scheduled for Monday. ...read more read less