EAST VILLAGE — The suspect wanted for stabbing a man to death on East Fifth Street earlier this month has surrendered to police, authorities said.
Carl Knox, 47, was charged with the second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and possession of a criminal weapon for allegedly stabbing 31-year-old Corey Capers to death in front of 737 E. 5th St. about 3 a.m. on June 9, police said. Capers, a Lower East Side resident of Vladeck Houses near the East River, had a son and was engaged to be married.
The stabbing, which occurred between Avenues C and D, stemmed from an argument between the suspect and his girlfriend, said Deputy Inspector John G. Cappelmann, commanding officer of the Ninth Precinct.
The fight began to escalate inside Knox's East 5th Street apartment while a group, including Capers, were outside in a courtyard, according to Cappelmann who spoke at a community council meeting on Tuesday night.
Someone inside the building alerted the group to the dispute who then chased Knox down the street, where a fight began.
Knox, who turned himself in last Sunday, allegedly fatally stabbed Capers in the chest.
"He always helped others out," said 37-year-old Amy Mirla, who was Capers' fiance.
While Capers had a son from another relationship, he also acted as a father to Mirla's four children, she said. Capers funeral was held on Monday at R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home on First Avenue.
"It's kind of peaceful," she said, of learning that Knox was arrest. "I hope he gets life."
Knox is due in court this Friday. Mirla, who said she will never take her engagement ring off, is intending to attend the criminal trial.
Knox, who has also gone by the name Abdul Hakim, has a history of 26 prior arrests including an attempted rape and assault, according to court records. He has been ordered held without bail at the Manhattan Detention Complex, according to the Department of Correction.
