Teen son charged in fatal stabbing of churchgoing Queens dad, shocking neighbors
An emotionally-disturbed Queens teen stabbed his namesake dad to death early Thursday before he was tasered and arrested following a tense standoff inside the family home, police said.
Cops arrived at the Springfield Gardens residence to find the deranged 19-year-old suspect armed with a knife and barricaded inside a bedroom after a 911 call at 12:27 a.m. described the son as violent and agitated, police said.
The suspect, identified by police as the victim’s son Arthur Jr., was jolted with a Taser and later charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon after allegedly repeatedly stabbing his dad.
Stunned neighbors and friends were left to offer fond memories of slain father Arthur Walker Sr. and wonder what sparked the lethal confrontation between dad and son.
“Arthur is a gentle man,” said Rev. Michelle Hector, 60, a friend of the victim. “I can’t believe it. He loves his family. He goes to church every Sunday.”
The son was standing outside with knife in hand when police arrived, with the suspect bolting inside and locking the bedroom door. Police then heard screams, apparently as the son stabbed his father multiple times, before forcing their way inside, police sources said.
Local resident Allen Charles, 35, was outside the family’s home hours after the killing, cleaning up blood-stained gloves left at the crime scene by first responders.
Charles recalled the murder victim as a friend and role model known for creating fresh meals from his garden, often providing the night-shift worker with a tasty breakfast.
“Mr. Walker was like a father to me,” said Charles, who moved into the neighborhood 14 years ago. “A family man, filled with principle and righteousness ... This was just shocking to see. He was a man I highly looked up to.”
Hector said she was planning to drive with the victim to the Friday funeral for a friend’s daughter killed last month in a car crash.
The mother of 14-year-old victim Fortune Williams recalled the slain man’s support after the tragedy left her devastated — and said Walker’s son appeared out of sorts when she encountered him earlier this week.
“He didn’t look like the little kid that I knew from over the years,” said Keisha Francis. “He looked like something was wrong. He just didn’t look the same.”
Hector recalled spotting Arthur Jr. in her backyard Wednesday afternoon for no apparent reason.
“He said he was looking for something,” she recounted. “His demeanor was not looking natural. I didn’t expect (this) from that kid. He must have been mentally disturbed.”
But Hector added the alleged killer was “not a bad kid ... Mannerly. Says good morning.”
The father, in addition to the stab wounds to his chest, was also slashed on the arm, police said. Arthur Sr. was pronounced dead after authorities rushed him to Jamaica Hospital.
The son was taken to Long Island Jewish Hospital for evaluation before charges were brought. The knife was recovered at the scene and police had no record of previous visits to the home for domestic strife calls.
