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Suspect arrested for string of Manhattan serial stabbings, police say
By
Andy Mai
Published Jul 13, 2022
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NYPD
By
Andy Mai
Published Jul 13, 2022
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A man was arrested for the alleged stabbings of three homeless people, one fatally, in Manhattan over the last week.
Trevon Murphy, 40, was taken into custody by officers at a bus stop at West 128th St. and St. Nicholas Ave., Wednesday morning. A bystander recognized the suspect and alerted nearby officers, police said.
The NYPD charged Murphy with murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault.
“This man was preying on the vulnerable and we're thankful for the combined effort to apprehend this subject quickly and safely,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a press conference announcing the arrest Wednesday afternoon.
Police said Murphy, who is also homeless, attacked the victims while they were asleep. They found him in the same clothes he was wearing on surveillance footage: a hoodie and neon sneakers. Officers also discovered a knife on his body following the arrest, officials said.
Mayor Adams tried to reassure New Yorkers that, while the case is disturbing, it does not exemplify the city at large.
“I don't think this dangerous person is a reflection of New York,” Adams said. “The average New Yorker gives the homeless a helping hand. They do not use their hands to assault them.”
The first incident occurred on July 5th around 3 a.m. when the suspect fatally stabbed a 34-year old man lying on a bench on the Hudson River Park walkway near West 11th St.
Three days later, he allegedly stabbed a 59-year old man also lying on a bench at Madison Ave. and East 49th St. The third incident happened on July 11th when a 28-year-old man was stabbed lying inside of Stanley Isaac Playground off the FDR Drive, police said.
Sewell said Murphy was previously released without bail after attacking a roommate at a homeless shelter in Queens in April. Officials said he was convicted in Tennessee in a narcotics related case and a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating parole.
Attempts to reach a lawyer who can speak on Murphy’s behalf were unsuccessful.
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