Attempt Murder Charges Filed in 1997 Lombard Stabbing

DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett and Lombard Police Chief Ray Byrne announced that charges of Attempt Murder have been filed against Omair M. Razvi, 26 (d.o.b. 3/17/78) whose last known address was 261 W. Central in Lombard.  Razvi is charged in connection with an October 24, 1997 stabbing of a Lombard man who had come upon Razvi allegedly during the course of an auto burglary.

It is alleged that in the very early hours of October 24, 1997, Razvi and two (2) others were breaking into cars in the parking lot of the Collen Court Condominium Complex at 120 Collen Drive in Lombard.  The victim, Mark Lukaszek, then 33, saw the three (3) and confronted them.  It is alleged that Razvi came at the victim with a screwdriver in his hand and stabbed him in the head with it.  Razvi and the other two persons with him then fled the scene. 

At approximately 6:00 a.m. later that morning, the victim, Mark Lukaszek, was found critically wounded and unconscious in the parking lot of the apartment complex.  He was immediately transported to a local hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery.  Lukaszek suffers permanent injury as a result of the stabbing.

Lombard Police began an investigation which spanned seven (7) years and led to Razvi.  As a result of great police work and the assistance of the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as the Illinois Department of Corrections, enough evidence was garnered to merit charges being filed against Razvi.  One (1) count of Attempt Murder was authorized by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office on October 29, 2004.  Yesterday, Tuesday, November 2nd, Razvi was arrested and taken into custody shortly after his release from the Illinois Department of Corrections in Crawford County in downstate Illinois.   He was transported from there to the DuPage County Jail in Wheaton.

Razvi appeared late yesterday afternoon in bond court where Judge Bruce Kelsey set his bail at $750,000 with 10% to apply.  If convicted, the penalties for Attempt First Degree Murder, a Class X felony, are 20-80 years in  the Illinois Department of Corrections. State’s Attorney Birkett praised the Lombard Police, especially Detective Tom Wirsing, for their diligence in investigating and solving this case.  In addition, he thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Paul Marchese as well as the officials of the Illinois Department of Corrections who provided critical assistance throughout the course of the investigation.

“Mark Lukaszek was forever changed after he was stabbed that fateful day in 1997,” State’s Attorney Birkett remarked.  “He was standing up for his community when he approached the defendant and confronted him while he was allegedly burglarizing cars in the neighborhood.  He was being a good citizen when he was critically stabbed in the head and then left for dead.  Now, thanks to the dedication and persistence of law enforcement officials, the defendant will stand trial for stabbing Mark.”

Razvi will next appear in court on November 29th in courtroom 4010 at 9 a.m. before Judge Michael Burke for arraignment.

Members of the public are reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not proof of a defendant’s guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.