Giovanni Martinez Jr., 24, died after a May 18 attack on North Harlem Avenue.
CHICAGO, IL — The family of Giovanni Martinez Jr. is demanding answers weeks after the 24-year-old was fatally stabbed in Norwood Park and a person detained by police was released without charges.
Martinez died after a late-night attack May 18 in the 6000 block of North Harlem Avenue, a busy stretch on Chicago’s Northwest Side near the city’s border with suburbs. Chicago police said the case remains open. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, but prosecutors said the evidence presented so far does not meet the burden needed to file criminal charges.
Police said the stabbing happened about 11:15 p.m. after Martinez got into a verbal and physical altercation with a man he knew. Officers said the man pulled out a knife and attacked Martinez. Martinez was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he later died. His girlfriend, Priscilla Moreno, said she was there when the attack unfolded and held him as he bled. “When I looked at him, his neck was sliced, and there was a lot of blood,” Moreno said in an interview. She said Martinez appeared to know how badly he was hurt and pointed to his neck while others tried to help.
Police initially said a suspect was in custody and charges were pending. They also said a knife was recovered at the scene. Local police officials later described the case as a domestic-related dispute and said no charges were expected at that time because the men were being considered mutual combatants. Martinez’s relatives reject that view. His father said the attack appeared planned and pointed to a text message he said warned the other man before the encounter. “It was premeditated because you were at the door hiding behind the window, waiting for my son to get to the door,” Martinez’s father said.
Moreno said she saw a person looking through a window shortly before the door opened and the attack began. She said Martinez turned toward the door before he was struck with a knife. Martinez’s family said there were witnesses and that investigators recovered the weapon. The family also said some people connected to the case did not cooperate with police. It was not clear Sunday whether investigators had obtained video from the area, whether any additional forensic testing was pending or whether prosecutors had asked police for more records.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said charging decisions must be based on facts, admissible evidence and the law. In a statement, the office said it recognized the pain caused by violence but could not proceed unless the legal standard was met. Prosecutors said they completed an extensive review of information presented by law enforcement and found the evidence insufficient to meet the required burden of proof. The office said it remains open to reviewing new or additional evidence if police present it.
The killing has left Martinez’s relatives trying to balance grief with questions about the investigation. His father, who returned to Florida after burying his son, said Martinez had plans to build a future around cars. He said his son wanted to open his own detailing and body shop. “That was his dream, to have his own shop,” his father said. “Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to live that dream.” Family members said the lack of charges has deepened their pain because the death has been ruled a homicide but no one has been criminally accused.
Norwood Park, a largely residential Northwest Side neighborhood, is not often the focus of homicide investigations. The stabbing drew attention because police first said a person was in custody, then the case moved into a more uncertain stage. Area Five detectives are investigating. No court hearing has been scheduled because no charges have been filed. Police have not announced a new arrest, and officials have not released a full timeline of what happened before the confrontation.
As of Sunday, June 14, the investigation remained open, and Martinez’s family was still asking why the person detained after the stabbing was released. The next major step would be the submission of new evidence to prosecutors for another charging review.
Author note: Last updated June 14, 2026.