Two sisters are accused of stabbing a store security guard 27 times with a small knife after he asked them to wear face masks and use hand sanitizer, according to prosecutors.
Neither Jessica Hill, 21 nor her sister Jayla, 18 — a recent Simeon Academy graduate — had a criminal history before the Sunday evening attack in the 3200 block of West Roosevelt Road in the Homan Square neighborhood, prosecutors told a judge during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.
Each sister is charged with attempted first-degree murder and was ordered held without bail by Judge Mary C. Marubio, who cited the “randomness” of the attacks, as well as statements from witnesses and surveillance that captured video and audio of the confrontation.
The sisters entered the store around 6 p.m., around closing, but refused to wear a face mask or use hand sanitizer, as many businesses require patrons to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors said in court.
During a quarrel with the 6-foot-5, 270-pound security guard, the women were both asked to leave but they refused and began hitting him with a garbage can, authorities said.
While Jayla Hill held the guard’s hair, her older sister pulled a small knife concealed in a comb and stabbed the man in the head and torso, prosecutors told the judge.
The guard was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for 27 puncture wounds that did not require surgery or stitches, authorities said.
The women’s court-appointed attorney argued that the stabbing was self-defense and that both women suffered from bipolar disorder.
Both women are expected to return to court next week.
