Crystal Lake man gets 16 years in stabbing case

WOODSTOCK - A 19-year-old Crystal Lake man was sentenced to 16 years in prison Friday for his part in a gang-related stabbing that almost killed his childhood friend.

Authorities are unsure whether Justin Knapp, 19, of Crystal Lake, wielded the weapon that punctured Jorge Avitia’s heart in an early morning fight near the Aldi parking lot on Route 47 in Woodstock.

But the law allows them to try to hold both Knapp and the other suspect, Luis Rodriguez, 24, Crystal Lake, responsible for the crime. A jury convicted Knapp of attempted murder, mob action and two counts of aggravated battery in September. Charges against Rodriguez are pending; his next court date is Dec. 30.

The June 10 incident stemmed from an argument at a house party among Rodriguez, Knapp and Avitia, who has friends in a rival gang.

The pair followed Avitia and a friend and shouted gang slang when they left to catch a train to Crystal Lake, Avitia said at the trial.

Avitia was stabbed three times in the torso in the fight that ensued. His friend called 911 as the two attackers fled and later identified Knapp as an offender.

Knapp’s attorney argued at the trial that Knapp was nearby when the attack happened and tried to help Avitia, who lived with Knapp last summer and has known him since grade school.

Defense attorney Henry Sugden also questioned whether the participants could accurately understand the events after an evening of drinking. A hospital test showed Avitia’s blood-alcohol level was 0.184 percent, which is more than twice the legal driving limit.

But prosecutors emphasized Knapp’s gang membership, displaying pictures of his gang tattoos and eliciting testimony from police who said he had previously flashed gang signs at officers in squad cars.
Prosecutors argued that Knapp chose his gang allegiance over a friend in the fight, a choice they said almost cost Avitia his life.

Woodstock, Crystal Lake