Nationwide — Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, a 31-year-old man from Pineville, North Carolina, was arrested after he reportedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and fatally stabbed their 5-year-old son. Authorities charged him with first-degree murder after finding him at a nearby Taco Bell.
Police responded shortly after midnight Thursday to the Sabal Point Apartments after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When police arrived, they found the child suffering from multiple stab wounds and immediately provided medical aid before taking him to a hospital in a patrol vehicle.
The boy was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Investigators said the child’s mother told them Echoles entered the apartment, went into their son’s bedroom, and closed the door.
According to Fox 5 New York, an arrest affidavit says the mother heard a commotion and opened the bedroom door. She said Echoles then fled, and she found her son bleeding and unresponsive with stab wounds to his head, neck, and arms before calling 911.
The mother and another child who were inside the home were not hurt. Police later located Echoles at a nearby Taco Bell and took him into custody.
Authorities said the killing was a domestic incident and that the child was not targeted in a random attack. Police have not disclosed a possible motive.
Echoles remains jailed at the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond. His next court hearing is set for July 30.
Police said Echoles had a history of assault-related cases. He was convicted of assaulting a woman in North Carolina in 2020 and has faced other assault allegations, including two cases involving women this year.