By Lexi Gopin
Anat Kimchi, a University of Maryland doctoral student and graduate of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, was fatally stabbed in the Chicago Loop on Saturday. She was 31.
The Chicago Tribune described her as “a brilliant graduate student who was working to complete a doctorate in criminology at the University of Maryland.”
Gary D. LaFree, professor and chair of the criminology and criminal justice department at U-Md., told the Tribune that she was “one of our best students” and “just about to embark on a professional career.”
Along with her pursuit of a doctoral degree, Kimchi was also a Flagship Fellow, an award for outstanding doctoral candidates.
Kimchi is the daughter of Avi and Chava Kimchi as well as a sister to Itamar and Ofer Kimchi.
In an email to the criminology community, LaFree expressed his condolences.
“Anat was already a notably accomplished scholar, but more importantly she was a remarkable woman who was beloved by friends and family,” he said in the email.
Kimchi was also a Montgomery County resident and graduated from Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in 2008.
Chicago Superintendent of Police David Brown told ABC 7 in Chicago on Monday morning that the suspect is likely a homeless person who hid in the bushes before committing the crime.
The suspect has not been identified or arrested, said Brown.
