Northwestern professor suspected in fatal stabbing to appear in court

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ABCNews.com(EVANSTON, Ill.) — A Northwestern University professor accused of killing a Chicago man is set to appear in court in California Monday.

Northwestern professor Wyndham Lathem and a second suspect, University of Oxford employee Andrew Warren, were both taken into custody without incident in Northern California Friday night after a nationwide manhunt.

Lathem and Warren spent more than one week on the run after allegedly killing 26-year-old Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, who was found stabbed to death at a Chicago apartment registered to Lathem on July 27.

Chicago police said last week that several federal agencies were brought in to investigate and a national alert was sent to police departments across the country advising that murder warrants were issued for both men.

According to police, while Lathem, a faculty member at Northwestern’s microbiology-immunology department for 10 years, was on the run, he sent a video message to various friends and family members apologizing for his alleged involvement in the killing. Lathem described the killing as the biggest mistake of his life, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Guglielmi also said the two suspects donated $1,000 in the victim’s name to the public library in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Lathem’s attorney, Adam Sheppard, said in a statement Sunday, “We have received an outpouring of support from colleagues, friends, and family members on Doctor Lathem’s behalf. His achievements in his professional field have been particularly noteworthy. Our firm will be fighting to procure his pretrial release which we believe is merited. He has led a law abiding life, voluntarily surrendered to authorities, and has roots in the Chicago community. We encourage the public to wait until all investigations are complete before jumping to any conclusions regarding criminal culpability.”

Andrew Warren is in custody in connection with a fatal stabbing in Chicago.

Both suspects are expected to be taken to Chicago where they will be interrogated by Chicago police detectives, Guglielmi said Friday.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department told ABC News that authorities believe Lathem “and the victim had a relationship.”

The Cornell-Duranleau family said in a statement Sunday, “Given the nature of how our son suffered and died, we are hopeful that the judge will deny bail for both suspects until this matter is settled in a court of law.”

“The Cornell-Duranleau family would like to thank all of the law enforcement agencies who were instrumental in bringing the suspects into custody. Their diligent efforts, have given our family some comfort as we mourn this tragedy,” the family added. “While we continue to grieve and struggle to make sense of Trenton’s death, we ask for privacy so we can lay our son to rest.”

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