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Mentally Ill Son Kills Dad and Stabs Mom After Domestic Dispute, Police Say

By  Trevor Kapp Murray Weiss and Aidan Gardiner | March 18, 2014 7:00am | Updated on March 18, 2014 7:25pm

 A man and a woman were stabbed at Columbus Avenue and 97th Street, police said.
A man and a woman were stabbed at Columbus Avenue and 97th Street, police said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

UPPER WEST SIDE — A mentally-troubled man stabbed his father to death and seriously injured his mother during a domestic dispute in their Columbus Avenue apartment Tuesday morning, relatives and sources said.

Anthony Powe, 27, who relatives said suffered from schizophrenia, attacked his parents with a pair of scissors in their eighth floor apartment at the Park West Village home at 784 Columbus Ave. about 6 a.m., before fleeing the scene, police sources said.

Neighbors heard screams coming from the apartment and called police, sources said.

Powe stabbed his father, Darlington Powe, 71, in the face and chest, killing him, police said. His mother Alicia Powe, 56, was stabbed in the chest, according to the NYPD. She was taken to Saint Luke's Hospital where she was listed in stable condition.

Powe was caught at 166 East 96th St. not far from his own home on East 93rd Street near Lexington soon after the attack, according to police. He was arrested and charged with second degree murder and assault.

Throughout his troubled life, his father and mother tried to support him despite a history of incidents that prompted them to call police at least eight other times for prior disputes in the apartment, sources said. 

Powe's sister said her brother loved their parents and blamed his history of mental issues for the violence.

"He heard voices in his head. He had to stay on his medications," said Rochelle Powe, 44, "He is schizophrenic. I can't believe this is happening. Once he realizes what he did, he's going to freak out."

"I'm in disbelief. I'm numb. I just can't believe it," she added, "He and my father were very close."

Sources said they were still unclear about what sparked the violent outburst Tuesday morning, in which Anthony Powe repeatedly stabbed his 71-year-old father in the face and chest with the scissors before plunging the shears into his mother's chest, police said.

Relatives said that Darlington Powe was devoted to his troubled son and did what he could to help him.

"That poor kid always had problems," said Darlington Powe's ex-wife, Martha Powe, 70, who remained friendly with him.

"He always had nervous problems. Darlington was worried about him. He was really worried. It was a major concern. He thought he needed treatment."

A former neighbor who lived one door down for six years said that she frequently heard fights in ther apartment.

"They fought a lot. I shared a wall with them and they were always fighting, always screaming and fighting," said Fruma Reiss, 36, who moved out of the Columbus Avenue building about a week before the stabbing.

Relatives remembered Darlington Powe as a caring man with many talents.

"He was a very caring man, a very talented man. He did beautiful oil paintings. He was really good with math," his ex-wife said.

"He was a very loving and very caring man," Darlington Powe's daughter said. "He was a wonderful, fun-loving dad, He was a good person who never deserved to die like this."