NEW YORK – A landlord in Queens, New York, stabbed three tenants to death inside their home early Tuesday before turning himself in at a nearby police station, according to authorities. The suspect, who walked into the 113th Precinct stationhouse at around 7 a.m., told an officer that he was having issues with his tenants, said Kevin Williams, the commanding officer of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough South.
The motive behind the killings appeared to be the tenant’s failure to pay rent. Sources have revealed that the tenants had not paid rent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they had recently agreed to resume payments, they reportedly reneged, leading to the violent incident.
After the suspect disclosed his address to the police, officers rushed to the well-maintained single-family home on Milburn Street in St. Albans, where they discovered the three victims dead from stab wounds. Two victims, a man and a woman, were found in a basement bedroom, while an adult female was discovered upstairs.
The suspect, who has no prior arrest history, was immediately taken into custody. However, authorities have yet to recover the weapon involved in the killings. The suspect’s request for legal representation further complicates the ongoing investigation.
Family members of the suspect claim that he comes from a close-knit Jamaican family with no history of violence. The suspect’s brother expressed shock and disbelief at the incident, stating that his brother is not a violent person and does not seek trouble. However, neighbors painted a different picture, describing the suspect as initially friendly but later becoming distant and unsociable.
At this time, neither the victims nor the suspects have been identified. The investigation is still ongoing, and charges against the suspect are pending.