New York landlord accused of fatally stabbing 2 tenants and his girlfriend
11/17/2023 3:28 pm PST
NEW YORK (TCD) -- A 54-year-old homeowner faces charges after allegedly fatally stabbing two tenants and his girlfriend during a dispute about unpaid rent this week.
According to Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at around 7 a.m., David Daniel turned himself in to New York Police at the 113th Precinct. He told police, "I’m having issues with my tenants. I did something bad," WPIX-TV reports.
Officers subsequently responded to 122-39 Milburn Ave. in the neighborhood of St. Albans in Queens, where they discovered Daniel’s two tenants, a man and a woman, deceased from multiple stab wounds in the basement. Katz said officers found Daniel’s girlfriend dead in a second-floor bedroom with multiple stab wounds as well.
Katz called it a "bloody crime scene" and said it was the "result of extraordinary brutality."
WPIX-TV identified the victims as Daniel’s girlfriend, 51-year-old Coleen Fields, and his two tenants, 57-year-old Wayne Thomas and 55-year-old Evette Sweeney.
Daniel allegedly became upset when his tenants stopped paying their rent. He reportedly told reporters that he stabbed the victims because he was "under a lot of stress."
Katz announced that Daniel was arraigned on three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Daniel faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. He was scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 17.
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