Chicago man arrested in connection with deadly Harrah's Casino stabbing

A 25-year-old Chicago man has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 76-year-old man at Harrah's Casino hotel in Joliet.

Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the hotel, located at 151 N. Joliet St., in reference to a fight in which someone had been stabbed, according to a Joliet police news release.

Officers found Emanuel M. Burgrino, 76, from Hales Corners, Wisconsin, in a hallway of the hotel with stab wounds. Burgrino was transported to the AMITA Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where he was pronounced dead just after 11 p.m., according to the Will County Coroner's Office.

Officials said Burgrino suffered multiple stab wounds.

At 1:25 p.m. on Monday, officers went to the Joliet Public Library in the downtown area after receiving a report of a man who matched the description of the suspect in Burgrino's death. The man was Robert A. Watson, 25, Chicago, police said.

"During the course of the investigation, detectives were able to determine that Watson was the person who fatally stabbed the victim at the Harrah's Casino hotel hallway. Detectives are still investigating what led Watson to attack and fatally stab the victim," police said in a news release.

Officers determined that as Burgrino left his hotel room, Watson allegedly attacked him. He allegedly stabbed Burgrino and left the hotel prior to police arriving, according to the release.

The Joliet Police Department was seeking assistance from the public in the ongoing investigation. Detectives were looking for surveillance video, particularly between 9 p.m. and midnight Sunday in the downtown area of Joliet, showing the person of interest.

Joliet police released screenshots of what appears to be surveillance footage from hotel cameras that show the person of interest. The images show a man. One photo shows him wearing a black hoodie, gray pants, white shoes and a black winter hat. A second photo shows him wearing a red, long-sleeved shirt, gray pants, white shoes, a black winter hat and a black backpack. He also appears to have a black mustache.

Harrah's Joliet General Manager Randy Conroy said in a written statement, "The team members at Harrah's Joliet express their deepest sympathies and condolences for the family of the victim. We continue to support the Joliet Police Department in its investigation of the incident last night."

Call Detective Ray Jansma at 815-724-3028 or Investigations at 815-724-3020 with additional information. Those wishing to remain anonymous can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or online at crimestoppersofwillcounty.org.