CHICAGO – A judge this week sentenced a man to 41 years in prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death on a CTA platform in downtown Chicago. Jurors found 33-year-old Alejandro Arellano guilty of two murders on Halloween, and Judge Timothy Joyce handed down his sentence Tuesday, court records show. Arellano must serve 100% of the time.
Samantha Maldonado, 26, met Arellano at Miller’s Pub, 134 South Wabash, and left the restaurant alone on Saturday, March 11, 2023, around 12:30 p.m. But Arellano was right behind her, following her as she walked up the stairs to the Adams-Wabash platform.
CTA surveillance footage allegedly showed Arellano pulling a pocket knife from his pocket, reaching for the knife and putting it back in his pocket as he walked behind Maldonado, who repeatedly looked over her shoulder.
Prosecutors said Arellano found Maldonado hiding behind a CTA equipment closet on the southbound platform and physically stopped her from boarding an incoming train. She pulled away, but Arellano allegedly grabbed her from behind and stabbed her repeatedly in the chest, abdomen and side.
He boarded another train and fled the scene as Maldonado staggered to the ground and collapsed in the middle of Wabash Avenue outside Miller’s Pub. Witnesses, including the bar’s security guard, administered first aid until police and paramedics arrived.
When asked who attacked her, Maldonado initially said “Alejandro,” and she later gave other witnesses Arellano’s full name and date of birth, prosecutors explained. She died of her injuries a short time later at Stroger Hospital.
Police arrested Arellano outside his home within hours. There were suspected blood stains on his shoes and jeans, and police found a pocket knife in his pocket that appeared to have blood and other material on it.
Her cousin, Paulette Lopez, said in a GoFundMe campaign last year that Maldonado grew up in Ecuador and graduated from a top university there.
“Her joyful hunger for life is what brought her and her mother to Chicago to create and enjoy a better life, and it is something I am grateful to have known and learned from her,” said Lopez .
“Sami was and is truly a unique, beautiful soul. Talking to her was like being reminded what true joy and generosity look like in a person… She brought her dedication and passion to everything she did, from work to family to further education, even taking English language classes in Chicago to further her improve skills. her ability to connect with others,” Lopez said. “But most importantly, she loved easily and is loved by so many. She constantly cared for others and was generous at heart, ready to help anyone at a moment’s notice.”
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