Rockford stabbing suspect hurls insults at judge, victims' families during court appearance

A Winnebago County judge cleared the courtroom Tuesday after the man accused of committing a March 27 Rockford shooting and gallery members began shouting at each other during his detention hearing .

“You’re a puppet,” defendant Christian Ivan Soto shouted at Judge Scott Paccagnini during the proceedings.

Members of Soto's family yelled at Soto to stop, prompting the 22-year-old to continue his verbal rant.

“You're all snakes,” Soto interrupted as his new lawyer, Glenn Jazwiec, explained to Paccagnini that he did not oppose the state's request for pretrial detention.

Some of the victims' family members joined in the exchange, firing back at Soto, who shouted, “Only God can judge me” and “You're just puppets.”

More: “Rockford man officially charged in mass stabbings, four dead”. This is what happened in court

Before leaving the courtroom as the screams continued, Paccagnini ordered that Soto be held pending trial on the condition that he have no contact with the surviving victims and their families.

“I conclude, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant committed a custodial offense and that he poses a real and present threat to the community,” Paccagnini said.

Records show Soto lives in the 4700 block of Upland Drive, in the same neighborhood where he allegedly attacked several people with knives, his pickup truck and a softball bat. Four people were killed, including a U.S. Postal Service carrier and a 15-year-old East High School student.

Prosecutors say the attacks spanned several blocks and affected five crime scenes. Soto was arrested less than an hour after the first 911 call, which came in at 1:14 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27. A Winnebago County deputy was injured while in custody.

Soto is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion.

According to court records, in 2022 he was charged with criminal damage to property and admitted to doing donuts with his truck in a field in the Blackhawk Forest Preserve on Mulford Road. He was ordered to pay $2,037 in restitution and abide by the full terms of the DIVERT program, which allows first-time, non-violent offenders to keep a conviction off their criminal record. Soto's case was dismissed last August.

Soto's next court date will be at 8:30 a.m. April 15 in Courtroom B at the Winnebago County Justice Center. The case was assigned to Judge Debra Schafer.

Jim Hagerty writes reporting for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford stabbing suspect shouts insults at judge and victims' families.