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27 year-old Joseph Guardia claimed that he did not know the history of the man sleeping on Lower Wabash Avenue when he set him on fire last week. He told officials at the court hearing following his arrest that he didn't even know that Chicago's beloved "walking man," Joseph Kromelis, was under the blanket when he doused it in lighter fluid.
According to Block Club Chicago, the court obtained "horrific" video footage that detailed Guardia standing over Kromelis for 16 seconds, and his head and legs are visibly sticking out of the blanket.
“This defendant did not target someone he had an argument with, someone who wronged him or someone he even knew. This defendant decided to target the most vulnerable person possible — a 75-year-old homeless man sleeping in the street,” Assistant State Attorney Danny Hanichak said during the court hearing. “In 16 years of prosecuting cases, I’ve never seen a video so horrific. While this is currently charged as a tortuous attempted first degree murder, based on the prognosis of doctors treating this victim, but for a miracle, this will soon be a first degree murder case.”
Guardia has been charged with attempted murder and arson, and is being held without bail. Kromelis is currently sedated at a local hospital. The injuries that he sustained from the fire are being described as non-survivable.