Man charged with fatally stabbing Chicago rapper in River West

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - Prosecutors claim a well-known Chicago rapper who was stabbed to death in the Fulton Market District earlier this week knew his assailant and had a previous run-in with the man’s friend, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Walter Long Jr.–who performed most recently as “dinnerwithjohn–had gotten into a prior altercation with Kevin Alexander’s friend and the friend’s cousin, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

Alexander was on the CTA Green Line train with a friend heading westbound when Long got onto the train at the Clark and Lake stop late Wednesday afternoon, Santini said.

At some point, Alexander approached Long and soon, the two began wrestling on the train, Santini said.

The fight ended at the Clinton stop when 24-year-old Long got off the train and got off the platform. But Alexander followed, gave his friend his backpack, wallet and phone; and asked the friend for a knife he carried for protection, Santini said.

With knife in hand, Alexander, 23, ran up to Long in the 400 block of Clinton and stabbed him twice in the upper body, Santini said.

Long tried to run away after he was stabbed, but Alexander tailed him for a half a block before running away, Santini said.

Police and paramedics found Long unresponsive along the Metra tracks, Santini said. He was pronounced dead on the scene with two stab wounds to the upper torso.

CTA surveillance captured the initial fight between Long and Alexander, as well as Alexander running up to Long and stabbing him, Santini said.

A witness identified Alexander as Long’s assailant, Santini said.

Alexander also allegedly admitted his role in the crime to detectives.

The knife has not been recovered, Santini said.

Alexander has a previous theft conviction.

Assistant Public Defender Sandra Parris argued for a lenient bond since Long’s death was the result of a fight.

But Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil noted that Long was moving away from Alexander before he was attacked.

The judge ordered Alexander, of East Garfield Park, held on $2 million.

According to the Chicago hip hop blog Fake Shore Drive, Long was a rapper who was a founding member of the group PIVOT Gang.

He was currently performing under the name dinnerwithjohn after previously using the stage name John Walt. He last played Jan. 6 at Lincoln Hall on the North Side.

Alexander works at the Original Penguin men’s clothing store and as a lunch porter at Lincoln Elementary, Parris said.

He is a graduate of Marshall Metro High School, did a year at Southern Illinois University, and has held jobs at CVS and True Religion jeans, Parris said.

He also suffers from epilepsy as a result of a car accident he was in several years ago, Parris said.