Relative Charged In Stabbing of 2 Girls In Katonah
KATONAH, N.Y. (1010 WINS) -- Police in Westchester are trying to figure out what led to the stabbing of two young girls.
The alleged suspect in the stabbings is the woman who was taking care of them for the night, while their parents were away at a concert.
Those who live in the ritzy community of Katonah say they're shocked that something so terrible happened in their home town.
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The picture-perfect village of Katonah is better known as the low-key home to stars like Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren, but a different picture of the village was painted Saturday night.
"It doesn't happen here, no," resident Tom Alleva said.
On Saturday night, those illusions of safety were shattered by the vicious stabbing of two little girls – 7-year-old Maeve and 9-year-old Annabel.
The girls' parents, Joseph and Eva Kelly, had reportedly gone to a concert at the nearby Caramoor Center, leaving their daughters at their Girdle Ridge Road home with a relative, 39-year-old Lisa Turkki.
The Journal News is reporting that Turkki is the aunt of the two victims.
Police say that at some point, Turkki snapped, stabbing the girls over and over again. Police were called to the home at around 9 p.m.
The first officers to arrive found the sisters lying next to each other in the kitchen with serious injuries. Both girls were rushed to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla and into surgery, according to 1010 WINS reporter Terry Sheridan. The girls are expected to recover from their injuries.
Turkki was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault. She's now being held at Westchester County Jail.
On a bustling Sunday afternoon in downtown Katonah, word of the unexpected violence startled residents enough to stop them in their tracks.
"It's a beautiful place to live. It's horrible to hear about anybody getting hurt anywhere, but it's always more poignant when it's in your backyard," resident Hunt Middleton said. "I just hope the girls are alright."
"It's shocking," said Ilene Chouinard. "Things like this happen everywhere, you just don't hear about it."
"I can't even imagine what the parents are going through," resident Steven Helms said.
Police have not yet released a motive for the stabbing.
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