The victim of a stabbing last fall is expected to testify Wednesday near the conclusion of the attempted murder trial of Zion resident Surgene Cabell Jr.
Opening statements and several witnesses were heard Tuesday by the jury in the trial of Cabell, 26, who is charged with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing that left another Zion resident in critical condition on the evening of Sept. 14.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jim Newman, who is prosecuting the case, said Cabell and the victim became involved in an escalating argument that evening outdoors on the 2300 block of Gideon Avenue in Zion.
Newman said Cabell then entered the residence of a friend who lived on the same block, came back with a knife and stabbed the victim twice, once in the left side of the chest and once in the lower back.
According to Zion police, officers responded to a call of a stabbing at about 7:45 p.m. and found the victim on the ground bleeding through his clothes. The victim was taken to Condell Medical Center where he was initially listed in critical condition and received treatment including measures to prevent a collapsed lung.
Newman said the victim has since recovered and is expected to be the state’s last witness in the case Wednesday.
The victim initially did not cooperate with police, Newman said, but eventually told investigators his attacker was a longtime friend, identified him as Cabell in a photo lineup and provided police with a handwritten statement.
Cabell, who is being represented by defense attorneys Thomas Meyers and John Hock, has been held in Lake County Jail on $150,000 bail since his arrest last fall by Zion police.
If convicted of the attempted murder charge, a Class X felony, Cabell would face a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.
Newman said Tuesday that he expects the case to go to the jury Wednesday afternoon.
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