NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A man with an outstanding warrant in Tennessee and an upcoming court appearance in New York City was arrested Wednesday in connection with a Manhattan stabbing spree that left one homeless man dead and two more injured over the span of less than a week this month.
The NYPD nabbed 40-year-old Trevon Murphy, who himself is homeless, after a good Samaritan spotted him sitting at a bus stop in Harlem around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday.
During a press conference at NYPD headquarters, Mayor Eric Adams said a retired correction officer “played a major role” in apprehending “this dangerous person.” It wasn’t immediately clear if the retired officer is the good Samaritan who called police.
Officers responding to the 911 call found Murphy at the bus stop near St. Nicholas Park and took him into custody without incident. They said he was in possession of a knife.
Murphy faces a murder charge as well as two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault.
Police said three items of clothing helped link Murphy to the stabbings across Manhattan—neon sneakers, a gray backpack and a black “Innocence Project” hoodie. They said he was wearing all three at the time of his arrest.
The NYPD said detectives are investigating a motive and that it’s unclear if he knew his victims. They said he's familiar with the city’s shelter system and has been in shelters in multiple boroughs.
Murphy was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Tennessee for violating probation related to a narcotics conviction, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during the press conference.
“This suspect should not have been on our streets,” Sewell said.
Murphy was also released on his own recognizance after attacking a sleeping roommate at a homeless shelter in Queens in April, according to police. He was due back in court on July 22 in connection with that attack.
A 34-year-old homeless man died on July 5 after someone stabbed him as he slept on a bench on the Hudson River Park walkway at W. 11th Street in the West Village.
A second man was stabbed on the night of July 8 as he slept on a bench at Madison Avenue and E. 49th Street in Midtown. The 59-year-old survived a stab wound to the abdomen.
Then early Monday morning, a 28-year-old man sleeping at the Stanley Isaac Playground on the Upper East Side was stabbed in the abdomen. He also survived.
The NYPD escalated their search for the serial stabber this week, with top brass saying Tuesday that every officer in the city would have images of the suspected attacker amid the manhunt.
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