Boyfriend arrested in deadly stabbing of 16-year-old Saniyah Lawrence in Harlem
NEW YORK -- The boyfriend of 16-year-old Saniyah Lawrence is now under arrest in her stabbing death.
Zyaire Crumbley, 18, was charged with murder late Monday night.
Domestic violence activists say they are heartbroken by the case and working to support the victim's family.
Stephanie McGraw, the CEO of a nonprofit called WARM, told CBS2's Tim McNicholas she went to the police station, introduced herself to Lawrence's mother, and helped comfort her through that devastating night.
"We help her through her grieving process and we are just there to support her," McGraw said.
Police said Crumbley stabbed Lawrence in the neck Sunday at an apartment on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard before fleeing.
"This was a minor. She was a child. Her life was just beginning," McGraw said.
Watch Tim McNicholas' report
The victim's loved ones held a vigil in her memory Tuesday night in Harlem.
Friends and family released balloons outside the Harlem apartment building where police say Lawrence was killed.
"Saniyah was failed. We failed her," said Jackie Rowe Adams, with Harlem Mothers Save.
"Saniyah was talkative, she was bouncy and she was compassionate," said Jocelyn Phillips, who was Saniyah's first grade teacher. "It's hard to process. It's extra hard because you remember them when they were extremely innocent and didn't have those problems."
The suspect was on probation when he turned himself in to police Monday after a 24-hour manhunt.
"He had troubles," neighbor Courtney Kashangaki told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Kashangaki remembers seeing the young couple often in the neighborhood.
"I had no idea, and if I had, I would've stopped and said something to him, and in hindsight, I wish that I knew," she said.
The NYPD says more than one-third of all major crime in New York City stems from domestic violence.
"This is something that unfortunately we see too often, and it saddens our hearts," Inspector Amir Yakatally said.
Police and advocates urged all those at the vigil to speak up and seek help if they see or are experiencing abuse.