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Police arrest, charge suspect wanted for fatal Staten Island stabbings – Metro US

Police arrest, charge suspect wanted for fatal Staten Island stabbings

Police arrest, charge suspect wanted for fatal Staten Island stabbings
NYPD

The manhunt for the suspect who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend and her three children — including his own daughter — came to an end Saturday, according to authorities.

Michael Sykes was arrested and charged with three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and robbery.

He was later arraigned on Sunday in Staten Island Criminal Court, where he also plead not guilty for the crime, according to CBS New York. He was sent to Rikers Island and is expected to return to court on Feb. 16.

RELATED:Man wanted for triple stabbing that left girlfriend, baby daughter dead

The 25-year-old was on the run since Feb. 10 when police say he allegedly stabbed 26-year-old Rebecca Cutler and her three daughters — one-year-old Ziana Cutler, five-month-old Maiyah Sykes and 2-year-old Miracle — at the Ramada Inn in Staten Island just before 10 a.m.

The young mother and her daughters Ziana and Maiyah — who is Sykes’ own daughter — died later at the hospital. The surviving child, Miracle, had to undergo surgery but is currently recovering, according to police.

After the stabbing, Sykes allegedly got rid of the kitchen knife he used during the stabbing and fled on a ferry to Manhattan, cops said.

According to the New York Post, Sykes is believed to have traveled to Brooklyn and then on Feb. 11 grabbed a cab to Queens where he was hiding out in Astoria with a friend. After receiving tips of Sykes’ location, police arrested him on Saturday.

Sykes allegedly was upset because he thought Cutler was “fooling around” with the father of her other daughters, the Post reported.

According to ABC, police said Sykes had stabbed Cutler more than 30 times in the back.

Cutler and her children were homeless and staying at the Staten Island motel since Dec. 6, along with 28 other families — who were relocated immediately following the stabbing, according to authorities. The hotel will also no longer be used to house homeless families.

According to surveillance video, the three children and their mother were with Sykes at a nearby deli on Victory Boulevard at about 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 10, police said. At about 8 a.m. the five got back to the motel, and Sykes did not immediately go into their motel room but instead stayed in the hallway. He then went into the room at about 8:50 and left four minutes later — police believe that during this time the crime was allegedly committed.

RELATED:Son beats father to death outside Queens home: Reports

Sykes — who according to authorities had no criminal or psychological history — then called a family member, admitted to the crime and said he could take his own life.

After the incident, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would be offering 24-hour Department of Homeless Services-contracted security to all 41 hotels citywide which house homeless families.