A Chicago teen was charged Wednesday in the triple murders of his girlfriend's family and was ordered held without bond.
Denzel Pittman (pictured above), 18, had been reportedly dating Jade Hannah, 17. Late last Monday night, the couple allegedly got in to a heated argument that spiraled out of control. The couple had been sitting on a stoop at Hannah's residence, which she shared with her mother Stacy Cochran-Hill, 43 and younger sister Joi Cochran, 11.
Pittman allegedly began to strike then strangle Hannah. The troubled youth followed the beating by pulling out a knife and stabbing the young girl incessantly, 11 times in the neck, shoulder and chest. When Hannah screamed for help, Cochran-Hill tried to come to her rescue, but Pittman also managed to stab the mom 15 times in her chest, arms and hands. When Joi attempted to come to the aid of her mom and big sis, she, too, was stabbed in the chest and head.
According to police reports, witnesses told investigators they saw Pittman standing over one of his victims drenched in blood. They told police the young man fled the scene as soon as he was spotted. Police arrested Pittman, who also had a criminal record, soon after.
Pittman had been previously charged with domestic battery with Hannah. He also faces charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon from an incident that occurred earlier in the year. Investigators revealed that Pittman's family had actually been dealing with mental issues and were, in fact, all going to therapy but stopped due to a lack of funds.
Pittman graduated high school this past June and lived with his mother, stepdad, three sisters and two brothers. The young man whose Facebook page ironically states, that his interests are "to succeed in life" also took pre-med courses at Prairie State College.
As Cochran-Hill's family members sat solemnly in the courtroom during Pittman's hearing, her uncle Augustus McGill told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter, "It's just a tragic situation. Not just for our family but his family too. You raise your kids to be doctors and lawyers, but he just went the wrong way.''
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