Who is Henry Graham? Suspect in Chicago bank exec Russell Long's death was arrested a whopping 11 times in 2023
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS: Evanston man Henry Graham, who was charged with the murder of a 53-year-old bank executive earlier this year, is a repeat offender and was arrested a whopping 11 times for different crimes this year.
On Wednesday, November 2, Graham, 49, was charged with first-degree murder for the fatal assault on former vice president of operations at Northern Trust Bank, Russell Long, along the Magnificent Mile in Chicago on June 29, per ABC 7.
The assault claimed Long’s life on July 12 when he died from traumatic brain injuries after spending about a fortnight in the hospital.
Per Fox News, prosecutors say Graham is a repeat offender and has been arrested at least 11 times this year - both before and after Long’s death.
How did Russell Long die?
Graham is accused of attacking Long from the back and hitting him in the head with a closed fist at around 3.52 pm on June 29 at the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue. Per court documents, Long fell on the concrete and Graham sat on a fire hydrant and watched him bleeding profusely.
Graham walked off after hearing sirens. Two witnesses, however, followed him and informed the police about him.
The CWB Chicago reported that 15 minutes after the attack, a Chicago Police Department official radioed that the offender was in the custody of the police in 500 block of North Michigan Avenue. However, he was released thereafter.
The bodycam worn by the police recorded the conversation, which said, “Yeah, the [witnesses] walked up on us, and he walked right up to the [squad] car.”
The dispatcher replied, “Alrighty,” before adding, “I got you guys holding that offender at 520 North Michigan.”
The news outlet reported that no arrest had been made that day. In fact, it wasn’t until July 2 that the CPD started recording and documenting the case.
Two weeks after the assault, Long died on July 12 because of a traumatic brain injury. The Times reported that his death was ruled as a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner in October.
More than four months later, Graham has been charged and arrested with Long’s death.
Henry Graham’s list of crimes
This was not the first crime for which Graham was arrested. Fox News reported that for the last several months he has been arrested for a multitude of crimes.
In November 2022, Graham allegedly shoved a 71-year-old man into a glass storefront in Evanston. The case was, however, dropped in April after he failed to show in court.
At the beginning of 2023, he was similarly accused of kicking a woman in a leg and an arm, but his no-show in court propelled the case to get dropped.
Graham reportedly "displayed irate behavior" and assaulted a man in March, and pleaded guilty in April. He received 33 days’ time served.
He was then arrested for another assault in Evanston and received 15 days served in June.
He was again arrested on June 27, just two days before the fatal assault on Long, Graham was arrested for assaulting a woman near the Magnificent Mile. He was released later.
CWB reported that following Long’s beating, he was allegedly arrested for another six times at least.
He was accused of trespassing at a River North Church on July 9, but the case was dropped on August 22.
On August 4, Graham was accused of throwing a bottle of gin through an Evanston store window following which an arrest was made before the case was dropped on September 5.
On August 16, he was arrested and charged for allegedly shoving a 14-year-old girl causing her some injuries. He received 18 days’ time which he served till September 5.
Graham also received four felony counts of aggravated battery to police officers on September 22. Though the case is still pending, he was let go with conditions. He was arrested on October 3 for striking a man outside Wrigley Field. While he was ordered detained, he was already in the custody of the police for Long’s murder.
Judge Barbara Dawkins said during a hearing on Friday, November 3 that he should be held as a threat to public safety before the murder trial.