The boyfriend of a Jamaican woman who was fatally stabbed in their shared apartment in the Bronx has been arrested and charged with murder, police said Tuesday.
Khaleel Cooper, 39, was taken into custody on Monday, two days after allegedly stabbing 40-year-old Tamara Rowe during a domestic dispute inside their home on East 232nd Street in the Wakefield section. Cooper now faces charges including murder, manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Rowe, a former employee of the Gleaner Company Limited, was found by police with stab wounds to her chest and right arm around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. She was rushed to Montefiore Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“That was very surprising,” said neighbor Cheryl Thompson, 48. “There was no reason. No argument, no nothing. … They never fight.”
According to the NYPD, Cooper had no prior arrests. Authorities said the couple was living in the apartment with Rowe’s two children who were home at the time of the incident. The children are now in the care of the New York Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), while efforts are underway to place them with relatives or a trusted family friend.
“In accordance with our duty of care to Jamaican nationals abroad, we are making enquiries regarding the welfare of the children affected by this devastating event,” Alsion Wilson, Jamaica’s consul general in New York, told The Gleaner in a statement.
The Jamaican Consulate said it is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding Rowe’s death and has been in close contact with law enforcement. The consulate has also pledged to coordinate with the appropriate social services to ensure the best outcome for the children.
Jamaican non-profit organisation Leaf of Life is working with the consulate and the Riverdale Children’s Theatre to support the children’s welfare. Jennifer Chalmers, head of Leaf of Life, said the priority is to secure the children’s release from ACS and have them placed in the custody of family or close family friends.
Rowe had migrated to the U.S. over a decade ago and worked as a home health aide, according to relatives. Police continue to investigate and are urging anyone with information to contact law enforcement.
