A mother and her four children were brutally stabbed to death in Brooklyn late Saturday night by their cousin.
A Chinese immigrant, Ming Don Chen, 25, was arrested for murdering his cousin's wife and her four children. He has implicated himself in the deaths and is expected in court, The Associated Press reports. Chen is now being held in custody. He had been staying at the home for the past week or so, the Chief of Department Phil Banks said.
The victims were Qiao Zhen Li, 37, and her children, 9-year-old Linda Zhuo, 7-year-old Amy Zhuo, 5-year-old Kevin Zhuo and 1-year-old William Zhuo.
Officers who arrived at the scene found all five of the victims unresponsive. Two girls and a boy were pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman and another boy were taken to hospitals in Brooklyn, where they were then pronounced dead as well.
Banks said that the victims "were cut and butchered with a kitchen knife."
Fire department spokesman Jim Long said emergency workers arrived at the scene before 11 p.m. to a 911 call from a person stabbed at the house in the Sunset Park neighborhood, a blue-collar neighborhood of adjoined, two-story brick houses.
May Chan, a neighbor of the family, told the Daily News it was "heartbreaking" to learn of the murders.
"I always see (the kids) running around here," Chan said. "They run around by my garage playing. They run up and down screaming."
Bob Madden, who lives near the family, was out walking his dog when he saw a man being taken from the building by police. Madden said the alleged perpetrator was barefoot, wearing jeans and "he was staring, he was expressionless," he said.
Yuan Gao, a cousin of the mother, said the man had recently moved to the area and had been staying with other people.
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