Murder Charges Filed Against Man In Zion Fatal Stabbing

ZION, IL — The Lake County Coroner's Office and the Zion Police Department are investigating the death of a Waukegan man Friday night in Zion, and the man he was in a domestic relationship with has been charged with first degree murder, according to the police investigation. According to a release from the coroner's office, Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said an autopsy was performed at 9 a.m. Monday on 41-year-old La Torrance Finch. According to a release, Howard said the preliminary autopsy results indicate Finch died from complications as a "result of sharp force trauma."

“We have been in close contact with Mr. Finch’s family and our deepest condolences go out to
them during this difficult time,” Howard added, according to the coroner's office. Toxicology is pending, the release said.

The coroner's office responded to a death investigation at 11:35 p.m. Friday at Vista Medical Center East, the release said. Less than two hours before, dispatchers received a 911 call of a fight at 10 p.m. involving two people in an apartment in the 4100 block of Barberry Lane, Zion.

According to the Zion Police Department, the caller subsequently reported that one of the subjects had a knife. Officers arrived and located a male from Waukegan (who they reported as 42-years-old) in the parking lot suffering from a stab wound to the torso. Police said the victim was conscious, talking to officers and was taken by Zion Fire and Rescue crews to Vista Medical Center East where was was later pronounced dead.

Detectives arrested Joseph M. Rollins, 40, of Waukegan, and charged him with two counts of first degree murder. His bond has been set at $2,000,000, according to police.