UPDATE: Bail Denied for Man Accused of Murdering Skokie Man

A Darien man charged with kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at knifepoint and murdering her friend will be held without bond in DuPage County Jail. 

Joseph Spitalli, 34, of the 7500 block of Country Lane in Darien, appeared in court Monday morning and was denied bail. He's charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping, a Class X felony. If convicted he faces life in prison with no possibility of parole. 

He's scheduled to appear in court Dec. 17 in front of Judge Daniel Guerin. 

Police say they responded to a battery call at 12:25 a.m. Friday in Wildwood Court and found 31-year-old Skokie resident Teymur Huseynli dead in the front lawn from a knife wound. Spitalli is accused of kidnapping Huseynli's girlfriend, Darien resident Kristina Baltrimaviciene, 28, who previously dated Spitalli.

DuPage County Court records show that Baltrimaviciene filed an order of protection against Spitalli on Sept. 11, but it was denied by a judge Oct. 2. 

Shortly before midnight, Baltrimaviciene and Huseynli left Baltrimaviciene’s apartment to walk a dog. Police say Spitalli confronted the couple while on their walk, and an argument ended when "Spitalli grabbed Huseynli from behind and slit his throat," a DuPage County State Attorney's Office news release stated. 

Police say Spitalli then forced Baltrimaviciene into his car at knifepoint and drove to his home and later his parents' home, telling his parents that Baltrimaviciene was a victim of battery, according to the release. 

Spitalli contacted the Darien Police Department to report the alleged battery, but an investigation into that report and the homicide "revealed that Baltrimaviciene was not the victim of a battery and that in fact, Spitalli had allegedly murdered Huseynli."

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin personally thanked assistant state's attorneys Romas Mockaitis and Mike Fisher, as well as the Darien Police Department and DuPage County Sheriff's Office. 

"Their swift action and outstanding police work led to the peaceful apprehension of a man accused of brutally slaying a fellow human being simply because he was dating his ex-girlfriend," Berlin said in the release. "Thanks to their efforts, Mr. Spitalli was taken into custody before anyone else was hurt." 

Darien Police Chief Ernest Brown said the department is not releasing more information at this time, but appreciated the work by the department. 

"It was a terribly tragic incident," Brown said. "Our detectives performed absolutely like experts – it really speaks to their level of professionalism. This incident serves as a reminder to us all of the need to be ever vigilant about domestic violence."

—Melissa Sersland contributed to this article.