Cook County prosecutors have charged a man with murder in the August drowning death of a beloved Chicago charter boat captain, alleging that the man trespassed onto the DuSable Harbor docks and then punched the captain, causing him to fall and slip into the water.
Cook County Judge John Hock on Thursday ordered Alexis Trader, 34, detained while awaiting trial, noting in a court order that Trader allegedly has a pattern of assaulting random people. He is also charged with aggravated battery, accused of punching a gas station employee in the face last January.
Nabil Abzal, 63, known to many around DuSable Harbor as “Capt. Bill,” drowned on Aug. 30 in Lake Michigan near where his yacht was moored.
“He loved being ‘Capt. Bill,’” his wife, Laura Abzal, previously told the Tribune. “But he was so much more than that. (He) was a humble man who would be a bit embarrassed by all the attention he is receiving.”
According to a proffer by prosecutors, Trader and three others approached a gated area where boats are kept at DuSable Harbor around 2:43 a.m. Though the harbor is accessible to the public, the docks are locked and only accessible by keypad.
Trader scaled a gate, the proffer said, and then let the three others onto the dock.
Abzal would sleep on a yacht there four to five times a week during the summer, prosecutors said.
While Trader and another man waited by the gate, two women boarded Abzal’s yacht and took photos of themselves on the watercraft, posting them on the social media platform Snapchat.
Abzal discovered them, told them to get off the boat and escorted them back to the gate, the proffer said. Abzal did not have any weapons, nor did he make any threats or physical contact with the women.
As Abzal opened the gate, Trader raised his arm and hit him, causing him to hit his head and fall into the water, the proffer alleges.
A fisherman heard a splash and called 911. Trader also called 911 and reported that someone fell into the water, the proffer said, but did not elaborate on how he ended up in the lake.
Trader and the others with him gave statements to the police before leaving the area, according to the proffer.
Divers recovered Abzal from the water, but were not able to revive him. An autopsy found that he died by drowning.
Later in the morning, Abzal’s first mate found a vape pen and blunt wrapper on the boat, according to the proffer. Detectives located surveillance video that showed the alleged attack, the proffer said.
Abzal left behind his wife, a daughter, three granddaughters and a great-grandson, who called him “Grand Poo” and “Poo Poo.”
