Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter Found Stabbed To Death In Washington Heights 'Exorcism'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man is in police custody Sunday after a the step-granddaughter of actor Morgan Freeman was found stabbed to death in Washington Heights.
Police were called around 2:54 a.m. a building on 162nd Street near St. Nicholas Avenue, the NYPD said.
The woman was found lying on the street in front of the building, police said. She was rushed to Harlem Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The woman was identified as Edena Hines, 33, of Washington Heights, step-granddaughter of Morgan Freeman.
Police sources say Hines' 30-year-old boyfriend who lived with her stabbed her on the sidewalk, just 100 feet from her front door, CBS2's Matt Kozar reported.
George Hudacko heard the fighting from his apartment window around 2 a.m. He said the man was making crazed rants like he was trying to perform an exorcism.
"I heard the him say something like 'Devil, be gone, Jesus and God,'" Hudacko said. "I said uh oh."
Patrick Curry also witnessed the stabbing from his window.
"He was kneeling over her and screaming about 'God has arisen,"' Curry said. "He was totally off the ranch."
Hines, who attended the 2005 Golden Globes with Freeman, studied acting at NYU and taught underprivileged youth in Memphis.
Freeman released a statement about her death.
"The world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer. Her friends and family were fortunate enough to have known what she meant as a person," Freeman said in the statement. "Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace."
The boyfriend is being held under police guard at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center.
