NYC Triple Stabbing Suspect Nabbed, Lived At Mental Health Facility

NEW YORK CITY - A Brooklyn man who resided at a behavioral health facility for homeless individuals was nabbed Monday afternoon in connection with Sunday’s deadly triple stabbing in the East Village, authorities said.

Alejandro Piedra, 30, was charged with murder – depraved indifference and attempted murder – depraved indifference in connection with the daytime stabbing that killed a 38-year-old man and injured two others, police said.

The stabbing took place across the street from the bustling Stuyvesant Town development on Avenue A and East 14th Street.

Piedra’s last known address was at Services for the Underserved Mental Health Programs, Inc. in the New Lots section of Brooklyn, police said.

The stabbing, which happened about 5:43 p.m., resulted in the 38-year-old man sustaining fatal neck wounds; a 32-year-old man was stabbed in his back and a 51-year-old woman was stabbed in the leg, police said.

The deceased was first identified as Clemson Coxfield by the New York Post.

A “cutting instrument” was recovered from the area and Piedra was taken into custody at the scene, police said.

All three victims were rushed to NYC Health+Hospitals/Bellevue, where the 51-year-old woman is listed in critical condition and the 32-year-old man is listed in stable condition, police said.

Sunday's incident in the 9th Precinct - which spans the East Village, Alphabet City and NoHo - is the first homicide of the year in the area, according to NYPD data. There was one homicide reported last year.

New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera noted "the area remains chaotic and unkempt since the pandemic."

“We've seen drug deals, we've seen knives and other implements,” Susan Steinberg, president of the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, told Gothamist. “It's just really awful and a lot of the residents are very nervous or scared to go on 14th Street.”

A spokesperson for the NYPD told CBS News that there will be a "dedicated foot post to address quality of life issues and maintain a visible presence along 14th Street."

In a statement, New York City Council Member Keith Powers, who represents the area, said he has repeatedly implored the NYPD and city agencies to put an end to crime in the area.

"In the time where we have received this, we have seen marked improvement," he wrote. "We need every elected official and agency working to solve these problems: A dedicated NYPD presence to curb illicit activities, continued enforcement of illegal vendors, on-going attention to trash and sanitation cleanup, and more ...

"it's time that everyone works together to end this madness once and for all."