Victim of deadly Decatur stabbing identified, suspect in custody

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The victim of a deadly stabbing overnight in Decatur has now been identified.

A man has been arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the stabbing.

On February 1 at 12:01 a.m., the Decatur Police Department responded to the 1300 block of E. Locust Street. Officers found a man, identified by the coroner as 34-year-old Lasam Currie of Decatur, with an apparent stab wound to the upper body. He was rushed to Decatur Memorial Hospital but did not survive.

Officers secured the residence to preserve the crime scene while multiple witnesses were found. Through interviews, the suspect was identified as 50-year-old Donald A. Cross. Cross was immediately apprehended at a residence in the 1200 block of E. Locust Street by officers.

Search warrants were executed at 1364 E. Locust Street and the residence where Cross was taken into custody.

Detectives completed further interviews of those individuals who were present during the incident.

Cross was ultimately arrested for First Degree Murder and booked into the Macon County Jail.

An autopsy for Currie is scheduled for Friday.

Although an arrest has been made, this investigation is still ongoing. Anyone who witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Decatur Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (217-424-2734) or Crimestoppers (217-423-8477).