Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau was stabbed 70 times.
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Aug 21, 2017
What at first seemed like a random murder of a Chicago hairstylist by a college professor and a university employee, has unveiled itself to be a planned murder-suicide sexual fantasy.
After being on the run for eight days, microbiology professor Wyndham Lathem and senior treasury assistant Andrew Warren turned themselves into police for murdering Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau — who was Lathem's boyfriend.
Assistant State Attorney Natosha Toller told The Guardian that Lathem and Warren were carrying out their sexual fantasies of killing others and then themselves.
The two took turned that plan into action July 27, when they stabbed the 26-year-old 70 times at Lathem's condo in Chicago. Lathem even paid for Warren's ticket to the United States and booked him a hotel room not far from the murder scene.
The night of the murder, Cornell-Duranleau was asleep at the 46-year-old professor's condo when Warren was let into the house. As Warren stood in the doorway, Lathem crept up on his boyfriend and began to stab him with a six-inch drywall saw knife.
Warren and Lathem are currently in jail awaiting their next hearing. Here are seven awful details we've learned about the case:
1. Lathem and Warren discussed their murder-suicide sexual fantasy in an online chatroom.
Lathem and Warren came up with a plan to murder someone and then kill themselves in an online chatroom and described it as a sexual fantasy.
Prosecutors still aren't sure why the two didn't follow through with the end of the plan to take their own lives. Originally, they planned for Warren to shoot Lathem while Lathem stabbed Warren.
2. They planned to record the murder.
After Lathem took the first stab, prosecutors say he instructed Warren to take a video of the murder with his cell phone. For reasons unknown, Warren never started recording.
3. Cornell-Duranleau fought back against his attackers.
The hairstylist woke up during the attack, began screaming and started fighting back. At one point, he even bit Warren's hand.
But the brutality of the murder was too much for Cornell-Duranleau to fight off. He was stabbed 70 times; 21 times in his chest and abdomen and 26 in his back. He also has multiple cuts to his hands, two punctured lungs, wounds to colon, spleen, and liver.
4. Cornell-Duranleau's last words were heartbreaking.
According to the prosecutors, Cornell-Duranleau's last words were to his boyfriend. He said, "Wyndham, what are you doing?"
Despite the relationship between Cornell-Duranleau and Lathem, police say love wasn't the motive.
“What I can tell you, it was not domestic in nature — like a husband/wife or boyfriend/boyfriend or love triangle — that was not the motive," said Chicago police Detective Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan. " It was a little bit more dark and disturbing.”
5. Cornell-Duranleau was almost decapitated.
The attack was so intense that it nearly decapitated him. Authorities say there were "mutilations" to his upper body and the blade of one of the knives that were used was broken during the attack.
An autopsy also revealed that Cornell-Duranleau had methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death.
6. Lathem left anonymous donations in Cornell-Duranleau's name.
After the murder, Lathem and Warren left the condo and rented a car. That same day, Lathem made a $5,610 donation at the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago in the name of Cornell-Duranleau.
About 13 hours later, he made another donation to the public library in Lake Geneva, Washington for $1,000, also in the victim's name.
7. Lathem sent a video message to his family after the murder.
While on the run, authorities say that Lathem sent a video message to his parents and friends confessing to the killing.
He told them he's "not the person people thought he was," and that killing Cornell-Duranleau was the biggest mistake of his life.
Police are not releasing the video.
Emily Blackwood is an Editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, dating, relationships and everything in between. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).