Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Funeral For Fatally Stabbed 6-Year-Old Boy Draws Hundreds In Brooklyn
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 7, 2014
Modified Jun 7, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty
View all 7
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 7, 2014
Modified Jun 7, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
More than 1,500 mourners gathered at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn on Friday for the funeral of Prince Joshua "PJ" Avitto. The six-year-old boy was brutally stabbed to death with a steak knife in an East New York housing project elevator Sunday night, and his seven-year-old playmate was injured—his suspected attacker, Daniel St. Hubert, is awaiting murder and attempted murder charges.
Prominent attendees at yesterday's funeral included the Rev. Al Sharpton, Chicago Bulls star Taj Gibson (a relative) and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray stopped by to pay their respects, but did not stay for the service. P.J. was described as a boy who loved mischief and superheroes; his family and friends even nicknamed him Superman. He was buried in an all-white suit with a photo of injured friend Mikayla Capers attached to his lapel.
Prior to the funeral, P.J.'s father, Nicholas Avitto, carried his son's superhero backpack to the Achievement First Aspire Charter School, just as he'd walked his son to school every day. “I’m still devastated,” Avitto told the Post. “God got me through this week, the most high God. I’m hurting. I’m really hurting.” P.J.'s mother, Aricka McClinton, told mourners at the funeral that she dreamed her son told her he was in heaven, saying, "“Mommy, everything’s going to be all right. You’ve got to move on.”
P.J.'s alleged killer, Daniel St. Hubert, has been charged with P.J.'s murder and the attempted murder of Mikayla. He was out on parole after choking his mother, and is suspected of killing 18-year-old Tanaya Grant Copeland in East New York last week. His father, who lives in Florida, told reporters his son had serious mental problems, and implored his son to beg for forgiveness. "I didn’t want him to be an animal,” Albert St. Hubert told the Daily News. “He was a good kid when he was a child. When he came home from jail just a few days ago, I spoke with him, I see he is not okay. The mental is not good.” He told the Post, "I feel very sad. My children not supposed to be this way."
St. Hubert is being held without bail, and law-enforcement sources told the Post he "slept like a baby" while in custody. He was also reportedly hit with multiple disciplinary charges in prison while serving time for attempting to strangle his mother.
Tagged
daniel st. hubert east new york
fatal stabbing
mikayla capers
Prince Joshua Avitto
stabbing
Tanaya Grant Copeland
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .