A 34-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the suspicious drowning death of a beloved boat captain, Nabil Abzal, 63, who fell into Lake Michigan at DuSable Harbor over Labor Day weekend. The suspect, Alexis Trader, was already behind bars on unrelated charges when he was formally accused of Abzal's death.
According to prosecutors, Trader allegedly shoved Abzal into a gate at the harbor, causing a head injury that ultimately led to his death by drowning. The manner of Abzal's death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Video footage from the scene shows Trader and two women near the boat around 2:45 am on August 30th. A person dressed in all black, later identified as Trader, opens the gate for the women to leave the vessel. Abzal is seen waking up at this time, only to be confronted by Trader and another man, leading to a violent altercation.
Prosecutors claim that Trader punched Abzal, causing him to fall into the lake after being pushed towards the metal gate. However, Trader's defense team disputes this account, arguing that there were no witnesses to witness the alleged physical assault and that their client assisted in the rescue efforts after Abzal fell into the water.
Trader has a history of violent crimes, including burglaries and armed robbery convictions from 2008 to 2023. His lawyer maintains that his client is a changed person and has been cooperative with authorities.
The case remains under investigation, but Trader's next court date is set for February 25. The family of the deceased captain is still reeling from the news, with Abzal's wife describing her husband's death as "surreal" and expressing shock at the loss.
According to prosecutors, Trader allegedly shoved Abzal into a gate at the harbor, causing a head injury that ultimately led to his death by drowning. The manner of Abzal's death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Video footage from the scene shows Trader and two women near the boat around 2:45 am on August 30th. A person dressed in all black, later identified as Trader, opens the gate for the women to leave the vessel. Abzal is seen waking up at this time, only to be confronted by Trader and another man, leading to a violent altercation.
Prosecutors claim that Trader punched Abzal, causing him to fall into the lake after being pushed towards the metal gate. However, Trader's defense team disputes this account, arguing that there were no witnesses to witness the alleged physical assault and that their client assisted in the rescue efforts after Abzal fell into the water.
Trader has a history of violent crimes, including burglaries and armed robbery convictions from 2008 to 2023. His lawyer maintains that his client is a changed person and has been cooperative with authorities.
The case remains under investigation, but Trader's next court date is set for February 25. The family of the deceased captain is still reeling from the news, with Abzal's wife describing her husband's death as "surreal" and expressing shock at the loss.
I'm so shocked and saddened by this news... my heart goes out to Nabil's family its just not fair that he had to go through this 
i was actually planning to take a trip on Lake Michigan over Labor Day weekend too, its like the universe is playing these kinds of cruel jokes on us 
Alexis Trader's history of violent crimes is so concerning how could someone with all those convictions commit something as heinous as this? 
I mean idk if he's guilty or not but like what was going through his mind that night? 
The video footage doesn't even show the alleged shove happening... it just shows a guy opening a gate for some women to leave. And Abzal wakes up at this time and then gets into an altercation? Sounds like a setup to me 
. And let's not forget, Trader was already behind bars on other charges when he got charged with this one... seems fishy 
. Can we get more evidence before we start putting lives in danger? 
the fact that his defense team is trying to spin this whole thing and make it seem like he helped with the rescue is just weird. and abzal's wife just described her husband's death as surreal... i can imagine, losing someone like that must be a nightmare 
i cant even imagine what his fam must be going thru... like how could some1 do that to a man who was just tryin to enjoy the lake with his family? and theres all these questions about whats really goin on here, wut happened before abzal fell in? did trader or those 2 women even care bout him at first? 
. The fact that he pushed Abzal into the gate and then helped with the rescue afterwards is just... I don't even know how to process that 
. February 25 can't come soon enough 
meanwhile Alexis Trader has a long history of violent crimes 
it's like they say you can't escape your past 
but I hope justice is served in this case 
. The defense team trying to spin it as the victim falling in after being pushed... not buying it, fam 