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06/15/2006 10:44 AM

Stabbing Spree Suspect Arraigned On Attempted Murder Charges

By: NY1 News

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A homeless man was arraigned on attempted murder and other charges Thursday after police say he admitted to a 14-hour stabbing spree in Manhattan earlier this week.

Kenny Alexis, 20, has been charged in three attacks that took place late Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning, during which four people were stabbed.

He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault, two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

Alexis will also undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the request of his own attorney to determine if he’s competent to participate in his own defense.

In the first attack Tuesday afternoon, Alexis allegedly stabbed a tourist, Christopher McCarthy of Texas, on the C train around 103rd Street and Central Park West. Doctors say the stabbing pierced McCarthy’s heart, and he is still listed in critical condition.

Alexis has also been charged in connection with a stabbing that happened at the Rockefeller Center subway station at 3 a.m. Wednesday. Brooklyn resident Ambrosio Castro, 30, was stabbed twice in that incident, but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Alexis is also charged with stabbing two Canadian women in Times Square an hour after the Rockefeller Center attack. Both women were hospitalized, but one has since been released.

Between those two incidents, police say Alexis pulled a knife on a clerk to steal some beer and water.

Police took Alexis into custody as he was leaving a McDonald's near the site of the attack on the Canadian woman. Police say he was carrying the knife used in one of the other attacks at the time.

According to investigators, Alexis confessed to the attacks, but his motive and mental state remain unclear.

NYPD officials say Alexis confessed to stabbing McCarthy because the victim got in his way. Alexis also allegedly said he stabbed Castro because he wouldn’t give up his cell phone, and that he attacked the Canadian tourists because they wouldn’t speak to him when he approached them on the street.

"For the first incident, he says that he was drinking alcohol. It's just bizarre, erratic behavior," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "He may very well have a mental disorder. We are trying to discern that."

The police commissioner also said officials have been unable to find any record of Alexis having undergone psychiatric treatment.

The prosecutor said he spoke with Alexis' family in Boston, and they said he has no history of mental illness. He does, however, have a record of misdemeanor offenses in Boston, and a judge there sent him for a 20-day mental health evaluation.

Alexis was found competent to stand trial but never did. Instead, he came to New York.

His next court date is scheduled for July 13th.