‘He tells her she is going to die': Judge orders detention for Lincoln Square man accused of stabbing wife

Yahoo

15-04-2025

A Chicago man stabbed his wife to death in their Lincoln Square apartment, prosecutors alleged Tuesday, attacking her even as their young children ran into their father's bedroom when they heard their mother scream.
A Cook County judge ordered Nurmuhammed Inus, 35, detained while awaiting trial during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. He is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Mairunnisa B. Osman, 29, on Saturday in their home, where prosecutors said police had been called multiple times before, including the day before the killing.
Inus appeared in court with the aid of a Burmese interpreter while his family watched the proceedings from the gallery.
'We see a series of domestic incidents that escalate from taking a phone away to pushing her to the ground and ultimately killing the victim,' Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Mike Pekara said. 'He did this with his own children in the home and in front of two of them.'
On the night she was killed, Osman was finishing up household chores while the children were getting ready for bed, Pekara said. The couple shared the two-bedroom apartment with their four children, aged 3 to 12.
Inus slept in one room, and Osman and the children slept in the other, prosecutors said.
Inus started arguing with Osman in his bedroom about her wanting a divorce and accused her of infidelity, Pekara said. Inus then left the bedroom and retrieved a knife from the kitchen, Pekara said.
The two oldest children heard their mother screaming and ran into the bedroom, according to Pekara, and saw their father choking Osman while accusing her of cheating and telling her she was going to die. The children noticed their mother had been stabbed, he said.
Inus went to the sink and washed blood off his hands, Pekara alleged, and the oldest child called 911. Inus told two of the children that everything would be OK, and he asked the oldest child why she was calling 911, Pekara said.
The child ran into another bedroom with her siblings and locked the door, Pekara said.
Inus left the apartment and called Osman's brother and sister, he said. Her sister lived nearby, ran into the apartment and discovered Osman, who was rushed to a hospital.
While officers were on the scene, Pekara said, Inus called his wife's brother again and spoke to a Chicago Police Department sergeant. The sergeant urged him to turn himself in and provided an address, Pekara said.
Inus apologized and asked if his wife was OK, he said.
Inus later turned himself in.
While in custody, Inus called his sister, Pekara said, and the two of them called the oldest child and tried to persuade her to change her story.
The Cook County medical examiner's office had previously identified Osman as living in the West Ridge neighborhood, but prosecutors said the couple lived together in the Lincoln Square apartment.
Pekara said police had been called to the residence multiple times, most recently on Friday, the day before the stabbing. Osman told officers that the two argued and he pushed her to the ground, then slapped her. Inus had left the apartment by the time police arrived, Pekara said.
According to Chicago police, officers were called to the home around 11:15 a.m. but did not make an arrest.
Inus has no pending criminal charges or prior convictions.
Assistant Cook County Public Defender Richard Paull noted Inus' lack of criminal history, and said his client worked as a food preparer.
'I believe there is the potential here for an affirmative defense,' Paull said.
Judge Mary Marubio, though, granted the state's petition for pretrial detention, noting the slaying happened in the home with children present.
'The defendant had been ranting and yelling about the victim cheating,' Marubio said. 'He clearly states his intent. He tells her she is going to die.'
Chicago Tribune's Sam Charles contributed.