CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Melrose Park man has been sentenced to 47 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing Joseph Kromelis, known as the “walking man.”
Thirty-year-old Joseph Guardia pleaded guilty to setting Kromelis on fire while he slept on a sidewalk. The guilty plea is part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid a trial.
Kromelis had been easily recognized for his distinctively dapper appearance, his long mane of hair, and mustache and was often referred to by the nickname “walking man” or “walking dude” because he strode with a kind of purpose around city streets.
Early in the morning, in May of 2022, Kromelis was sleeping in a blanket in the 400 block of North Lower Wabash Avenue, when a surveillance camera recorded Guardia pouring a flammable liquid onto the blanket and then lighting it on fire.
Kromelis died months later.
Guardia was arrested two days after the attack and gave no explanation for his motive.
A defense lawyer said Guardia had been diagnosed with mental illness and had been treated since he was 15-years-old.