Suspect accused of stabbing hardworking Chicago train station janitor was on electronic monitoring for previous felony conviction
Chicago prosecutors say Chevazz Campbell, 37, fatally stabbed CTA janitor Julian Mobley at Damen Green Line station while Campbell was on electronic monitoring. The case has prompted calls from the workers’ union and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke for changes to the state’s monitoring system, after officials said Campbell had breached his curfew repeatedly.
Prosecutors allege Campbell argued with a CTA employee, then returned to the station, sprayed Mobley with mace and chased and stabbed him in the neck. Mobley, 41, died in hospital; he had worked for the CTA for eight years. Campbell was being monitored while on probation in two pending retail theft felony cases and had four reported curfew violations; prosecutors also cited 11 offences on his record between 2014 and 2026.
- A CTA janitor died after an alleged stabbing at a Chicago station.
- The accused was on electronic monitoring and had four curfew violations.
- Officials are calling for reforms to state monitoring rules.
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The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) runs the city’s trains and employs staff to maintain its stations. Julian Mobley, a station janitor, had worked for the agency for eight years. Prosecutors say he was killed at Damen station; the allegations have not been tested in court.
Electronic monitoring uses a device, often an ankle bracelet, to track whether someone follows court-ordered rules such as a curfew. Campbell was on monitoring while on probation in two felony retail theft cases that were still pending. Officials have reported repeated curfew breaches, prompting debate about how monitoring rules are enforced and what happens after violations.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The repeated curfew breaches and the fatal violence alleged in this case could support calls for monitoring rules that trigger a faster, more consistent response when someone on probation repeatedly violates restrictions. Stronger safeguards, supporters may argue, could help protect workers and the public while making supervision meaningful.
The case against
Electronic monitoring is intended to supervise people in the community, and a tragic alleged offence does not by itself show that the system failed or that broader restrictions would prevent similar violence. Critics of expanding enforcement may argue that responses should be based on clear evidence that a breach signals danger, with adequate staff and due process, rather than treating every violation as grounds for detention.