Queens detectives are questioning a teenager who allegedly stabbed a man to death during an argument early on Sunday morning.
According to police sources, officers from the 115th Precinct were called to a home near the corner of 35th Avenue and 102nd Street in Corona just after 6 a.m. on Jan. 26.
Upon arrival, the officers discovered 24-year-old Byron Lema-Naula inside the 35th Avenue residence, unconscious and unresponsive, with a stab wound to the neck.
EMS rushed Lema-Naula to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cops say a knife was recovered at the scene, and a 16-year-old male suspect was taken into custody. Charges are pending as a result of the investigation.
Sources familiar with the investigation reported that Lema-Naula is believed to have been renting a room inside the household from the suspect’s family at the time of his murder.
Both the victim and the teen male suspect, who is related to the family subletting the room to Lema-Naula, apparently got into a dispute moments before the bloodshed, the sources said. It is not immediately clear what sparked the deadly argument.
Locals told amNewYork Metro that they would not see Lema-Naula but those who did recognize him described him as a “nice kid.”
Luis, a man working nearby, said that he did not know him well but would often see him heading to work in the mornings and would greet him. In Spanish, he explained that he believed the victim hailed from Ecuador. Luis last saw him the Monday prior.
Neighbors claimed that a new landlord bought the home recently, and began renting out rooms to young tenants. However, they also said that the home turned into a revolving door of new faces.
In the summer, locals say the home would be abuzz with activity, including barbecue cookouts, but the residents there generally kept to themselves.
Sunday’s homicide came as a surprise to locals.
“We came out, we saw some police officers. Personally, for me, it’s super sad and it’s crazy. We don’t know exactly what the problem was that led to the death,” said 22-year-old Scarlett Astudillo. “It’s crazy.”
Updated on Jan. 26 at 1:45 p.m.
