The suspect in the senseless slaying of a Chase employee stabbed inside one of the bank's Chicago branches had previously been charged with attacking two other women in 2014 but found not guilty by reason of insanity, police officials said.
Jessica Vilaythong, 24, was talking to a fellow employee inside the bank when a man entered the building and spoke briefly with Vilaythong before stabbing her in the neck on Wednesday.
Vilaythong died from her injuries on Thursday, and Chicago officers apprehended a 35-year-old man who had been arrested for assaulting and robbing two 55-year-old women in Navy Pier in 2014.
Chicago Police arrested a suspect for the fatal stabbing of Jessica Vilaythong. The suspect was reported arrested in 2014 for assaulting and robbing two women in Navy Pier
Vilaythong was transported to a nearby hospital where she died from her injuries
The man had been found not guilty by reason of insanity and had been released into a mental health center in 2017, NBC 5 reports.
Police have not identified the suspect and said the investigation was still ongoing.
Witnesses said they saw the man brandish the bloody knife on the street following the attack, covered in blood.
'I saw a guy with a knife - a pretty big knife - with blood on it and he was running with a head of steam, and then, 30 seconds later, all the cops started coming then,' one witness told Fox 32.
Jessica Vilaythong was talking to a fellow employee at the Chase Bank at the corner of Dearborn Street when the man came up to her and stabbed her in the neck
Police arrived at the scene quickly and were able to apprehend a suspect nearby
A Chase bank spokesperson said in a statement, 'We are devastated by the passing of our colleague Jessica Vilaythong and extend our deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
'Jessica was a wonderful person and valued employee. She was extremely outgoing, passionate, hardworking, and quick to help clients. We will miss her greatly.'
The stabbing occurred just three days after a man was assaulted and robbed by two men just around the corner on N. State Street.
Edwin Barone, 55, was assaulted in front of a crowd of people who watched on as the two men beat him in the middle of the street.
'No body helped me,' Barone told Fox 21. 'I think it's terrible that people are so desensitized.'
Theft, murders, shooting incidents and sexual assaults continue to rise in Chicago
The crimes comes as theft, murders, shooting incidents and sexual assaults are all up in the Chicago, according to police statistics.
Thefts are up 10 percent over the same period last year, with 7,714 recorded in 2021 compared to 6,989 in 2020.
Murders meanwhile saw a 3 percent jump, with 524 recorded so far in 2021 compared to 510 in the same period last year.
Shootings also jumped with 2,344 recorded in 2021 compared to 2,159 last year, about a 9 percent increase.
Rapes saw the most dramatic spike of 25 percent, with 1,374 recorded in 2021 compared to 1,103 last year.
