Queens

Arrest Made in Case of 17-Year-Old Girl Stabbed to Death on NYC Street

The teen was stabbed in the stomach several times in front of a home in St. Albans, the NYPD said

What to Know

  • An arrest has been made in connection with the stabbing death of a 17-year-old girl who was killed on a Queens street last week
  • Talasia Cuffie, of Long Island City, was stabbed in the stomach several times in front of a home in St. Albans, police said
  • Tyler Caldwell, 20, faces charges of conspiracy and criminal facilitation, but not murder, in connection with her death, police source says

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl who was stabbed on a Queens street a week ago, a police source with direct knowledge of the case tells News 4.

Tyler Caldwell is charged with conspiracy and criminal facilitation, but not murder, in the death of Talasia Cuffie, who was stabbed in the stomach multiple times in front of a home on 166th Street in St. Albans last Friday night, the source said. News 4 was told he allegedly acted in concert with others in relation to her killing, though specifics on his alleged role -- or who may have been responsible for actually stabbing Cuffie -- weren't immediately clear.   

After the attack, Cuffie staggered down the block where she eventually collapsed on the sidewalk. That was where police said they found her Saturday morning. 

"When we opened the window she was lying there on the sidewalk and she was making these noises when we opened the window, so it was, it was sad," said neighbor Anne Merwe.

Cuffie was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the NYPD said.

"My cousin was a young lady, who was very outgoing. She loved to enjoy life," said Cuffie's cousin, Celia Abercrombie. "She never had any enemies, she just wanted best for herself and her little brother."

Cuffie was a close friend to Aamir Griffin, the 14-year-old boy struck by a stray bullet on a Queens basketball court last month, her cousin confirmed to News 4.

"She lost a family friend who was almost like a brother to her, just right down the block. She took that really hard," Cuffie's cousin said. 

"If you’re out there and you can hear this, I just want you to know that you took someone special from our family. She didn't deserve this. I just hope that you turn yourself in," Abercrombie said. 

Information on a possible attorney for Caldwell wasn't immediately clear. The investigation is ongoing.

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