A Staten Island community is grappling with a shocking instance of domestic violence after a 19-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing his stepfather. As reported by Gothamist, NYPD officials indicated that charges are expected to be filed against the teen, who was taken into custody following the incident that occurred in their shared home.
A family member's 911 call yesterday afternoon brought police to the scene on Cary Avenue near North Burgher Avenue in West Brighton at around 4:30 p.m. There, they discovered a 45-year-old man in a bathtub presenting with several stab wounds to his head and neck. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. While his name hasn't been disclosed, officers shared that the home bore a history of domestic violence calls. However, to immediately determine the full scope of this family tragedy is yet difficult, as detectives continue to investigate.
In a separate report by ABC7, a neighbor reflected on the grim reality of the situation stating, "This whole world is upside down. This is like a terrible, horrible, to do this to a person you know not even to an animal, you don't do that." These sentiments articulate the community's dismay over the incident which is further compounded by the claim that the victim wasn't just stabbed but decapitated, a gruesome detail that intensifies the already horrific act.
Although the 19-year-old stepson has been taken into custody, his name has not been released and charges are yet to be pressed. Interestingly, this is despite no prior arrests for the teen. Police sources mentioned to ABC7 that there's a possibility the stepson may suffer from a mental illness. Hugh Nembhard, a neighbor living across for nearly six decades, expressed deep surprise, saying, "I'm not familiar with the stepson. I never saw him. I saw the father, but never the stepson," and added, "I don't know what to make of this. This is a shock to me. The neighborhood has changed."
With just two other killings reported in the precinct this year, homicides are considered rare in Staten Island's North Shore, as noted by Gothamist's citation of NYPD data.
