Ill. man charged with murder after punching death

PALATINE, Ill. - A Palatine, Ill. man accused of punching a man outside a bar now faces a first-degree murder charge after the man died.

Palatine police say Michael Platt threw an apparently unprovoked punch at 26-year-old Ryan Flannigan outside a bar in the Chicago suburb on July 18. They say Flannigan fell back and was knocked unconscious when he struck his head on the sidewalk. He died this week.

Platt, 35, was arrested about 30 minutes after the July 18 incident, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. He was initially charged with aggravated battery and was released after posting 10 percent of his $75,000 bond, reports the paper.

After Flannigan died at the hospital Monday, 10 days after the attack, authorities issued a warrant carrying the upgraded charge to first-degree murder, reports the paper.

Police reportedly said Flannigan never regained consciousness after the attack, which they called "senseless and unprovoked."

A judge ordered that Platt remain held on $2 million bond Wednesday.