ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Nearly three years after a violent attack left four people dead and seven others injured across Rockford’s east side, Christian Ivan Soto is now scheduled to stand trial in February 2027 in one of the deadliest criminal cases in recent local history.
The 24-year-old defendant faces 25 felony counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and home invasion stemming from the March 27, 2024, attacks that unfolded over roughly 30 minutes in a residential neighborhood.
According to prosecutors, Soto confessed to investigators after his arrest and told authorities he became paranoid after smoking marijuana he believed had been laced with another substance. Prosecutors have repeatedly noted that the claim has not been independently verified as a motive for the attacks…