warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
A mother, a desperate manhunt, and a city gripped by fear as the community wonders who could be next. The case intensifies when two children are stabbed inside an elevator — one miraculously survives and later helps bring their attacker to justice. This episode follows the intense chase to track down Daniel St. Hubert, the killer known as the “Brooklyn Ripper,” as investigators race against time and a city remains on edge
It’s a beautiful spring day in New York City,but it soon takes a deadly turn…
A grieving mother, a desperate manhunt.
A city on edge , a murderer on the loose, and a community questions who will be next….
June 1,2014,its a warm sunday afternoon in East New York Brooklyn.
And at the boulevard housing developments, residents are enjoying the beatuiful weather.
Best friends, Prince Joshua Avitto,better known as PJ, and Mikayla Capers are playing outside ,doing what kids do, having fun.PJ at the time was 6 ears old and Michaela was 7 years old and they’re elementary school kids.
This sunday afternoon in June ,the kids were in the playground and at some point kids get thirsty or they want a snack and they decided to go up to PJ’s apartment and get some ices.
They went into the elevator,they were by themselves,obviously they didn’t have any fear of going into the elevator, it’s just something normal that all kids do.
Then the elevator door closes and what happens next is unimaginable…
On the fourth floor, two residents find PJ Avido in the elevator in a pool of blood,resident’s find Mikayla outside of the building.
Mikayla’s left with 16 stab wounds in her body and she’s literally crawling out of the elevator in a pool of her own blood.
She is seen by bystanders who call for help, call 911. PJ is left in the elevator in his own blood.
Both PJ and Mikayla are rushed to Brookdale Hospital ,PJ succumbs to his 11 stab wounds and is pronounced dead.
Witnesses that were outside saw when somebody fleeing the location,detectives also had witnesses that actually saw the two kids going into the elevator,going into the building and saw a male that was following right behind them.
Witnesses had described the person who stabbed Mikayla and PJ as this hulky bearded man who was running away from the building after the attack.
One of the witnesses who police officers felt probably could describe him the most was taken to do a sketch by the NYPD sketch artist.
And so the sketch went out and so folks were able to like see who it was and that went out to the news.
When calls of the stabbings comes into News12 newsroom , reporters are immediately sent to the scene and are there as the story unfolds.
NYPD choppers have been scouring the area as they search for a man in his 30s who ran off after the stabbing.
Witnesses also said they saw something drop out of his pocket, police frantically search the area and they find what they believe is the murder weapon.it was basically a kitchen knife that you could get from any store, maybe like 8 inches altogether in size
But you could see that there was what appeared to be blood on the knife,that was detectives biggest break in their case.
Mikayla was being worked on by physicians at the hospital and detectives was abel to do a little brief interview of her,and detectives were able to get a story out of her as to what happened.
She told that her and PJ were going into the elevator,they were going to PJ’s apartment to get ices,she was able to tell that somebody else came into the elevator and it’s somebody else that she didn’t know.
A man was behind them and they were all in the elevator together, PJ , Mikayla and this man.
From what detectives understand, Mikayla and PJ made a lot of noise that the person in the elevator didn’t like.
PJA was being a six- year -old kid , She’s seven, they having fun, and from what’s known , the attacker said , like , ” shut up”.
And then according to Mikayla,a knife came out,they were both stabbed numerous times.
Mikayla gives a gripping statement and describes her attacker,but soon after ,her condition worsens,prompting doctors at Brookdale to transer her to New York Presbyterian hospital where she has surgery for a collaps lung.
Then detectives discover a grim reality.
There are no cameras in the buildings, which is a chronic issue at New York City’s housing developments,and despite funding that was approved a year prior,no cameras were ever installed.
And that delivers a devastating setback to the investigation.
No interior cameras, no exterior cameras, no cameras in the elevator.
So ,there was no footage of this crime.
Little PJ is gone, Mikayla’s in critical condition and the community is on edge with the killer of an innocent child at larg.
Then, detectives make a chilling connection.
An 18 year old college student Tanaya Copeland had been brutally stabbed just two days before PJ and Mikayla’s horrific elevator attack,and a similar knife had been used.
They were in walking distance from each other,and what appeared to be the same make of knife that was used.
As detectives continue the manhunt, tips are coming in from the sketch released of the killer .
They are also waiting on DNA results from the knife recovered at the crime scene, even though investigators know they have a murder weapon , at the back of their mind , they woundering , is there going to be a DNA?
More than likely ,they ‘re going to have their victim’s DNA, but is anybode else’s DNA going to be recovered on the weapon? .
Day one goes by, how come they haven’t caught him yet? day two goes by, are they seriously putting all their resources into it? day three goes by, are they going to prioritize this? and that was the tension.
As the community’s demanding answers, another stabbing…
This one on a subway in manhattan.
There was a homeless person that was sleeping on the train and he was attacked while he was sleeping .
That victim was removed to the hospital and he survived,but it was just another totally unprovoked attack.
Copeland unprovoked
P.J and Mikayla obviously unprovoked.
And then this male that would just happen to be sleeping in a train.
All unprovoked , all with a knife who was using all three crimes.
The community prays for a young victim.
7 -year- old Mikayla Capers is currently fighting for her life in the hospital and a madman is loose in a city on high alert.
Balloons were released in memorial of six year old Prince Joshua Avitto.
The innocent little boy was brutally stabbed to death in the elevator in this East New York aparment on Sanday night.
JUNE 2, 2014
It’s been 3 days since P.J and Mikayla were attacked by an unknown asailant
P.J ‘s family is grieving while while Mikayla is still in Intensive care unit.
Then news detectives have been waiting for regarding DNA found on the knife at the crime scene,the biggest break in the case was on June 12:00 PM June 4th when investigators had a DNA match.
They found the DNA from P.J, Mikayla and this gentleman named Daniel St. Hubert, the DNA on the knife was a match to a known felon in the New York City databas.
Investigators found out that he was on parole, he was released from prison on May 23 rd, this happened on June 1st, the incident.
Daniel St Hubert had a history of mentall illness, he had a history of random violent attacks, he spent a 5 year prison sentence for attempting to kill his mother and then while serving that sentence, he assaulted a corrections officers as well.
Now that detectives know who he is ,they have to figure out where he is,and that’s when they get a lucky break
St Hubert is scheduled to meet with his parole officer in Queens that very day.
It was foru car loads, three to four detectives every car get out there. and the time comes and he does not show up.
While all of this is going on, there’s an update on Mikayla Capers condition.
Her surgery is a success, and she’s on the mend.
MHer great -grandmother says she has a whole lot of emotional and physical healing ahead of her
It’s just the resilience of Mikayla that you really feel of her physical crawling out of the elevator to save her own life to get help for her best friend, P.J, it’s just…it is beyond words.
One child was killed and one child was seriously injured.
And when you messing with kids , it’s like cold zero.
They were calling for someone to say something and the community definitely rallied around that.
With St .Hubert a no -show at parole, detectives hit a wall, so a judge issues a warrant to allow access to his cell phone data in real time.
They relied on his phone and for several hours they could see that the phone was moving , it might have been a minute or two behind the actual time that the phone ping that they were there ,but they were doing the best they could and where that phone was going you had four NYPD cars following along.
At this point , St.Hubert’s phone signal goes dead , police believe because he was in the subway.
Next location ping- Manhattan.
And detectives went for several hours basically just chasing where this phone was going,around 8:00. a ping back in Queens.
When a team arrives ,they see a man who fits the description of St.Hubert drawing graffiti on a stop sign.
They confirm it is Daniel St. Hubert and swoop in for the arrest .
And they discover he has a knife in his possession.
They attempted to talk to him , the only thing he mentioned,satan has powers.
And then he requested a lawyer.
At first , it seems that St. Hubert might mount an insanity defense,they had to have a psychiatric evaluation that was given to him and it takes a lot of mounths of testing and questions in between time .
So, those years just passed on by….
March 14, 2018 the trial begins.
Eventually , a judge rules St. Hubert is fit to stand trial and the prosecution believes they have a strong case.
A murder weapon found at the crime scene,the8- inch knife with St.Hubert’s DNA on it.
And witnesses who saw him going in to the building and running out.
St.Hubert’s case , led by Brooklyn criminal defense attorney Howard Greenberg, tells the jury a very different story ,that they have the wrong guy.
The defense was that everything essentially a lie, if you will.
He repeatedly called DNA junk science.,there were no reliable witnesses, there was no security footage,so this is not the man .
Of course, it comes times for Mikayla to identify St. Hubert in court,which became sort of a crux of Greenberg’s cross -examination.
Who had painted Mikayla throughout this trial as a pathological liar,saying she was not trustworthy, he got her to admit that she sometimes tells white lies.
And was saying and told her that she was identifying St.Hubert just because she saw him on the news.
But 11 year old Mikayla stands her ground against the defense attorney’s accusations.
So, did the prosecution prove beyond a reasonable doubt…?
A verdict reading in criminal trial is always intense.
As family members hope for Justice, everybody’s holding on to their seats.
This is the culmination of years of grief, of trauma , feelings of insecurity in the community, it’s all comes down to this.
Four years have passed since P.J Avitto and Mikayla Capers were brutaly stabbed in an elevator,killing P.J and severely injuring Mikayla .
Accused killer Daniel St. Hubert has pleaded not guilty and now the cases is in the hands of a jury.
The DNA says St .Hubert’s DNA was on the murder weapon but again , it comes back to that camera footage,there was no footage of the scene ,there was no direct eyewitness of the crime.
And so going into deliberations, the feeling was tense.
Daniel St Hubert’s trial lasts 2 weeks,and after 2 days of deliberation, a verdict.
APRIL 10, 2018
The judge makes sure that everybody’s quiet so that the jury can be heard.
After two full days of deliberations, the jury finding Daniel St .Hubert guilty.
He is beng convicted of fatally stabbing Avitto and nearly killing Mikayla who testified in this case.
On all cases , you want to know, okay, whs there a motive? what happened?to this day,we still don’t know why,
Nobody knows what was going through his mind.
MAY 22, 2018.
Daniel’s presence in the courtroom was very quite until sentencing day when he did speak .
” I’m a good man and bad things are happening to me”
The judge handed down the max sentence of 50 years to life in prison.
Mikayla saying it was hard to face St .Hubert, but something she knew she had to do…..
I’ts been a decade since this crime happened.
It was a case that shook the city , ultimately it’s a case that makes the city stronger , maybe makes us more community driven .
As a result of this horrible tragedy , New York City installed 17 cameras at the Boulevards houses within weeks of the attacks.
And in 2018, a community center named after P.J Avitto.