QUEENS, N.Y. — A 54-year-old Queens man has been arrested and charged with murder after a deadly stabbing inside a Forest Avenue residence left a woman and a 2-year-old girl dead, police announced Sunday.
Ernesto Cruz, of 63-35 Forest Avenue, faces two counts of murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon following a violent attack that unfolded Saturday evening in the Ridgewood section of Queens.
Police responded to a 911 call reporting an assault in progress at approximately 7:09 p.m. on July 19. Inside the residence, officers discovered three people with stab wounds: Cruz, a 41-year-old woman identified as Ana Pilatagsi-Moposita, and a 2-year-old girl, identified as Cruz Analiz. All three lived at the address.
Pilatagsi-Moposita and the child had sustained multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest. They were transported separately to local hospitals in critical condition, where both were later pronounced dead.
Cruz was found with a stab wound to the chest and was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst in stable condition. He was later taken into custody and formally charged.
The motive behind the attack has not been released, and the investigation by the NYPD’s 104th Precinct and detectives remains ongoing.