New York police have arrested a suspect who they say stabbed three men experiencing homelessness while they slept, killing one of them.
Officers took Trayvon Murphy, 40, into custody Wednesday morning in Upper Manhattan after someone noticed him sitting at a bus stop, wearing the same shirt and shoes in the photos that police released of him the day prior, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a news conference.
“Once again, this is a story we have told many times before,” Sewell said. “This suspect should not have been on our streets.”
Murphy was already convicted in Tennessee and was wanted on an outstanding warrant after violating his probation, according to Sewell. Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny of the police department’s detective bureau said Murphy was homeless himself and staying in a shelter.
A 34-year-old man died in one of the stabbings, officials said. Police said they identified the man who was fatally stabbed, but declined to release his name at a Wednesday news conference.
Meanwhile, gun violence in the city also made national headlines as police reported five homicides within hours on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
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3 separate stabbings
The first stabbing took place on July 5 when a 34-year-old man lying on a bench said he awoke to pain in his stomach, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. The man then crossed the street, and a passerby called 911.
The man was taken to the hospital, where he died of a stab wound, Essig said.
Surveillance video showed a suspect in a black hoodie picking up the victim’s bike, riding it around the block, then returning to stab the man. The suspect also took the victim’s backpack, which was recovered nearby, Essig said.
On Friday, surveillance video showed a suspect sitting on a bench and staring at a sleeping 59-year-old man for about 30 minutes, Essig said. The suspect then put on a COVID-19 mask, walked over to the man, and stabbed him one time before walking away.
The victim reported the stabbing to police on Sunday,after trying to self-treat his injury. He is in stable condition, police said.
A third victim was stabbed Monday at a Manhattan playground, where he was lying on the ground of a basketball court. The victim said he felt a punch to his side and chased the attacker but was “unable to pursue due to his wounds,” Essig said.
According to authorities, the victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.
Police: Suspect had ‘numerous encounters’ in New York shelters
Kenny said the police investigation has revealed the suspect is “familiar” with the New York City homeless shelter system. He was homeless himself and has had “numerous encounters” in New York shelters, Kenny said.
Murphy violated his probation after being convicted on a narcotics charge in Tennessee, and will be extradited due to an active warrant there.
The 40-year-old was also due to appear in New York court later in July after he attacked his roommate at a shelter in Queens in April. Just as with the other three victims, Murphy attacked him while asleep.
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He used the same knife in all three July stabbings, which was in his pocket when he was arrested Wednesday. Kenny said police are still investigating Murphy’s motive for the crime.
“The commonality is that all three victims were homeless and all three victims were sleeping at the time of their attack,” he said.
Has this happened before?
In March, a man was arrested after police said he carried out a string of shootings of men experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., and New York. Gerald Brevard, 30, was accused of shooting three men in Washington, including one fatally, before traveling to New York to shoot two men, including one fatally.
“Every New Yorker, regardless of housing status, deserves to feel safe in our great city,” Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins said Wednesday.
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
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