Indictment announced in murder of 6-year-old boy

June 12, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Daniel St. Hubert in court last week. AP photo
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Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced Wednesday that a Brooklyn man has been named in a five-count indictment charging him with second-degree murder and other charges in connection with a stabbing spree that left a six-year-old boy dead and his seven-year-old friend seriously injured. 

“These two innocent children were subjected to unimaginable violence and terror in that elevator,” Thompson said. “We will now hold [the defendant] responsible for his cowardly, unmerciful and inhumane acts against Prince Joshua Avitto and Mikayla Capers.” 

The defendant has been identified as Daniel St. Hubert. St. Hubert, 27, has been indicted on one count of second-degree murder, one count of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count each of third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He faces up to 50 years to life in prison if convicted. No court date has yet been set for the defendant’s Brooklyn Supreme Court arraignment on the indictment.

According to the investigation, on June 1 at approximately 5:40 p.m., at the Boulevard Houses located on Schenck Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn, Prince Joshua Avitto, six, and Mikayla Capers, seven, entered the building, as did the defendant, who then allegedly attacked the children in an elevator, stabbing each of them multiple times, before fleeing the scene. 

Mikayla Capers, who had been stabbed multiple times and was bleeding managed to exit the building shortly after the defendant. Police responded to the scene and recovered a bloody knife, which later tested positive for the defendant’s DNA. Prince Joshua Avitto was found on the floor of the elevator with multiple stab wounds about his body. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Brookdale Hospital. Mikayla Capers was treated for abdominal bleeding and a lacerated spleen. 

In response to these stabbings, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that cameras will be installed in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings, such as the ones where the young victims were stabbed. 

“I appreciate that the de Blasio administration has stepped up to show leadership for the future of our residents in public housing,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “The installation of security cameras at Boulevard Houses, just a week after the fatal stabbing of six-year-old PJ Avitto, is far more than a symbolic act. In fact, the approval of over 90 security camera contracts in less than a week shows the City’s commitment to safety.”

 

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