Police apprehended a man accused of fatally stabbing an 80-year-old man in his Washington Heights apartment.
Lev Vayner was found inside an apartment on Overlook Terrace around 3:15 a.m. Monday.
He was stabbed in the neck and abdomen and declared dead on the scene.
The suspect, Alon Riabichev, 45, was detained and charged with murder and illicit possession of a weapon.
According to authorities, Riabichev contacted 911, claimed to be having a mental breakdown, and then stabbed the victim. When police came, he was allegedly sitting in the kitchen, knife on the table.
He was trying to help Riabichev, but it seems to have gone horribly wrong, according to the victim’s family.
Neighbors in the building stated they had seen the suspect grow up and knew him. They didn’t want him to live on the streets, but Vayner’s kindness could have cost him his life, according to authorities.
“He was a very generous guy, he was always out here offering me cigarettes telling me about his time in the Russian army,” said resident Moses Waterland.
Neighbors claim Vayner was a fixture in his building, as was the man accused of stabbing him to death.
Tenants in the building reported that Vayner had been residing in the lobby for several weeks following his mother’s eviction from his apartment.
“The whole building felt bad for this guy, because I mean we all knew him and when stuff starting going down with his mom, you had to walk by him everyday,” Waterland said. “The guy was suffering. He’s lived here for a long time. You don’t wanna just kick him out onto the street right away, but at the same time you saw he was sliding downhill pretty fast.”
Riabichev had five previous arrests, the latest being recent in 2008.
The medical examiner will establish the official cause of death.
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