Chicago man charged with murder of beloved boat captain months after Lake Michigan drowning

Chicago police investigating homicide of 63-year-old boat captain

Chicago police are investigating the homicide of a well-known boat captain.

CHICAGO - A Chicago man is facing a murder charge after police say another man drowned in Lake Michigan following an altercation along the lakefront last summer.

What we know:

Alexis Trader, 34, was arrested on Wednesday in the 2700 block of South California Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood.

Alexis Trader

Police said he is charged with one felony count of murder with a strong probability of death or injury.

The backstory:

On Aug. 30, 2025, Trader allegedly battered 63-year-old Nabil Abzal in the 200 block of North Lakefront Trail at around 3 a.m., causing Abzal to lose his balance and fall into Lake Michigan. He then drowned.

The Chicago Fire Department later recovered the body and pronounced Abzal dead at the scene.

Nabil Abzal | Provided

Abzal, of Plainfield, was well-known by other boaters at Dock C of DuSable Harbor as "Captain Bill."

What they're saying:

Abzal's boating friends told FOX Chicago he was kind and helpful to everyone.

"I actually heard the story that a body was found in the lake and I had no inclination at all that it would be him. Just thought it was somebody random, maybe walking by and fell in the lake and then as the circumstances started to evolve, it just became more and more apparent that there was more to it and just very sad, very sad," said Alan, who has had a boat at Dock C for eight years.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear what led up to the encounter between Trader and Abzal.

What's next:

Trader is due in court for a detention hearing on Thursday.

The video at the top of this story is dated.