Suspected NYC Serial Stabber Arrested in Attacks on Sleeping Homeless Victims

The knife-wielding attacker suspected of stabbing three sleeping homeless men in Manhattan, killing one, was arrested Wednesday morning after a passer-by spotted him at a Harlem bus stop, a police source said.

Trevon Murphy, 40, who is homeless himself, started to walk away when police approached — but when they told him to stop he complied and was handcuffed.

Trevon Murphy

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He was wearing the same sneakers and “Innocence Project” sweatshirt the suspect was seen wearing during the attacks.

“A good Samaritan spotted him sitting at a bus stop by St. Nicholas Park and same shirt and distinctive neon sneakers,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a noon news conference. {snip}

Sewell said that Murphy was convicted of a narcotics charge in Tennessee and violated his parole by fleeing the state. Tennessee authorities have an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

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Murphy’s last known address, police sources said, was a Queens hotel near LaGuardia Airport being used to house the homeless.

On April 10, he was arrested inside the hotel after he allegedly punched his roommate in the face while the victim slept — a crime hauntingly similar to the three he’s currently accused of.

He was charged with misdemeanor assault and released without bail at his arraignment, according to court documents.

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The stabbing spree started July 5 when a 34-year-old man sleeping on a park bench at West and Christopher streets in the West Village “awoke to pain in his stomach,” Chief of Detectives James Essig said Tuesday.

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The injured man stumbled across the street, where a passer-by called 911. He was rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he died.

The stabber struck next about 10 p.m. Friday {snip}

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A third man 28, was knifed in the stomach about 3:30 a.m. Monday as he slept on a basketball court at the Stanley Isaacs Playground at 95th Street and the FDR Drive in Yorkville. A witness told police the suspect, again clad in the Innocence Project sweatshirt, was armed with a large kitchen knife.

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