A man has been charged with the murder of a Chicago charter boat captain six months after he was killed. Alexis Trader, 34, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nabil Abzal, 63, known at DuSable Harbor as “Captain Bill”.
On August 30, 2025, Abzal was sleeping on his yacht 'Gone' when Trader allegedly climbed a locked dock gate and let a man and two women onto the pier. Surveillance showed the group entering around 2:45am. The women boarded the yacht and began taking photos; Abzal came out and confronted them, escorting them off the boat. As he opened the gate, Trader allegedly struck him, causing him to hit his head on a metal part of the gate and fall into the water. He sank and drowned.
A nearby fisherman heard the splash. Trader called 911 but gave a false name, 'Young James', and did not disclose the assault. He later left the scene with the group in a ride-share vehicle. Police recovered surveillance video showing the strike. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide by drowning.
Trader was already in custody on an unrelated aggravated battery charge. Prosecutors detailed his criminal history dating back to 2008, including burglaries, attempted burglaries, and armed robbery. In court, defence attorney Scott Kozicki argued no one directly witnessed the strike and that Trader stayed to help, but Judge Hock ordered him held pending trial, citing the 'violent punch' and strong probability of death.
Abzal’s wife, Laura, described him as safety-conscious and said he never drank or impaired his judgment. He earned the nickname “Captain Bill” because many struggled to pronounce his given name. He loved boating and Lake Michigan, and his death devastated the boating community.
