A 31-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he kicked down his ex-girlfriend's door and stabbed their son to death in Pineville, North Carolina.
Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles was arrested shortly after the attack at a Taco Bell about a mile from the scene. Police responded shortly after midnight on July 9 to the Sabal Point Apartments following reports of an assault with a deadly weapon.
The victim's mother told investigators that Echoles broke into the apartment and entered the boy's bedroom. She heard a commotion, saw her son bleeding and unresponsive, and called 911. The boy suffered multiple stab wounds to his neck, head and arms and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Echoles remains in jail without bond. His next court date is set for July 30. A motive has not been released. Neighbors described the incident as unsettling and heartbreaking.