Two additional suspects have been charged after 29-year-old Kyle Bickham died when he was thrown from a moving CTA Red Line train in Chicago on Sept. 7, according to prosecutors cited by multiple local outlets.
Who was charged and what’s next in court
Christian McBounds, 18, faces one count of first-degree murder, two additional murder counts, one count of aggravated battery of a transit employee, and one count of mob action, WMAQ-TV reported, citing Chicago police. A judge denied McBounds pretrial release at a detention hearing; he is due back in court Oct. 7, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Katlar Parchman, 19, also was charged with murder, WMAQ reported, citing police. She was booked into Cook County Jail with no bond; her next court date is Oct. 7, according to jail records referenced in those reports.
A 15-year-old girl was arrested Sept. 11 and charged with felony counts of first-degree murder, mob action, murder by other forcible felony, and aggravated battery to a transit employee, WBBM-TV reported. A judge ordered the girl detained until her next hearing in October, the station added.
What prosecutors say happened on the train
WFLD-TV, citing prosecutors, reported that Bickham was riding home from work when McBounds, Parchman, the 15-year-old, and another male boarded the Red Line at the 95th Street station. Prosecutors said surveillance video captured the encounter and that multiple witnesses described what they saw, according to WFLD.
Prosecutors said Bickham sat across from Parchman and talked to her while the 15-year-old moved through the car. After Bickham briefly exited at one stop and reboarded, he and the 15-year-old argued, and Bickham spit on the girl; the spit also hit Parchman, WFLD reported, citing prosecutors.
One of the males grabbed Bickham’s arm while the 15-year-old punched him, and the group—identified by prosecutors as McBounds, Parchman, the 15-year-old, and another male—surrounded Bickham and moved him toward the back of the car, continuing to strike him, WFLD reported. Police initially said there were three attackers, the outlet noted.
According to prosecutors, there was a pause near the sliding doors as Bickham reached for headphones. One of the men pulled the emergency lever to open the door while the train was moving. WMAQ, citing prosecutors, reported that the 15-year-old grabbed Bickham by the head and shoulders and—helped by one of the males—threw him out of the moving train, where he was struck by a train traveling in the opposite direction.
WMAQ also reported that, according to prosecutors, witnesses heard Parchman say, “He shouldn’t have bothered us.”
Status of the investigation
Prosecutors have alleged that four individuals were involved, including another male not identified in these reports, according to WFLD. Details in this article are based on statements from prosecutors and information reported by WMAQ-TV, WFLD-TV, WBBM-TV, and the Chicago Sun-Times.
