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Man Accused of Murdering Girlfriend and 2 Kids Put on Suicide Watch

By Nicholas Rizzi | February 16, 2016 4:10pm
 Michael Sykes, 25, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend, their baby and another child inside a Staten Island motel, was placed on suicide watch on Tuesday.
Michael Sykes, 25, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend, their baby and another child inside a Staten Island motel, was placed on suicide watch on Tuesday.
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NYPD

ST. GEORGE — The man accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend and two of her children inside a Staten Island homeless shelter was ordered placed on suicide watch Tuesday.

Mark Fonte, a lawyer representing Michael Sykes, 25, asked a judge to get his client medical attention and place him under suicide watch.

Judge Alan Meyers granted the request and ordered Sykes to return to court on Monday after a grand jury rules on the case.

Sykes, who's been held on Rikers Island since his Sunday arraignment, remained silent during the short proceeding but mouthed some words to his crying mother on the way out of court.

His mother did not want to speak with reporters after the hearing.

Sykes is accused of stabbing his 26-year-old girlfriend Rebecca Cutler, their 4-month-old daughter Maiyah Sykes, and two of Cutler's daughters.  Ziana Cutler, 1, died and her 2-year-old sister survived.

The attack happened inside a Ramada Inn at 535 Gannon Avenue North, in Castleton Corners, on Feb. 10, police said. The hotel was being used as a homeless shelter.

Sykes called his mom after leaving the scene, confessing to the killings and saying he was going to kill himself, police said.

After a four day manhunt, Sykes was arrested in Queens on Saturday. He pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon at his arraignment the next day.