Lavell Molinet, 20, was stabbed to death early on Thursday, August 15, 2024, inside a home in the 7800 block of South East End Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. The Chicago Police Department investigated, and Area Two detectives were assigned to the case.
According to Chicago police, an attacker using a sharp object stabbed Molinet inside the home around 1:30 a.m. He was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He was identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office. Police did not say how many times he was stabbed, whether anyone else was in the home, or whether anyone else was hurt.
No one was in custody, police said. They released no description of the attacker, no motive and no indication of whether the attacker was someone Molinet knew.
No follow-up appeal, charge or reward tied to his death could be found.
Beyond his name, his age and the place he died, nothing about Lavell Molinet has been made public. No obituary, memorial page, fundraiser or family statement could be found for this account, and news coverage did not say whether he lived in the home, whether he worked or went to school, or who his family was. He surely had relatives and friends who remember him, but none of that has entered the public record.
His surname is uncommon in Chicago, and searches for it turn up almost nothing beyond the single short news item reporting his death. That rarity cuts both ways: it has kept his story out of view, but it also means that anyone who knew a young man named Lavell Molinet would know immediately whom this case concerns.
The 7800 block of South East End Avenue lies in the southern part of South Shore, a few blocks west of the lakefront, in a neighborhood of courtyard apartment buildings and single-family homes. A violent attack inside a home in the early hours of a weeknight may have been heard through walls or windows in August, and neighbors may have seen someone leave the building afterward.
Chicago recorded about 590 homicides in 2024, down from about 620 in 2023 and well below the roughly 800 of 2021, the deadliest year in a quarter century. Chicago police reported clearing 56 percent of homicides in 2024, though that figure counts cases closed without charges.
His age stands out. He was 20, killed inside a home rather than on the street, which suggests the attacker may have been someone admitted to the house or known to the people inside.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Lavell Molinet could be found in news archives or public records. More than 2 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Lavell Molinet, who was at or near the home on South East End Avenue early on August 15, 2024, or who later heard someone talk about the stabbing, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at (833) 408-0069 or submit a tip online at CPDTIP.com, or contact Cook County Crime Stoppers at (800) 535-STOP (7867).
