BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (PIX11) --- A homeless woman accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend in his Bushwick apartment had a history of fighting with him and disrupting building tenants, according to a former neighbor and law enforcement sources.
"I would hear her flipping out, punching cars but she kept getting back in the building," said Justine, a neighbor who was friends with the victim and declined to have her last name published.
Authorities found Jonathan Allen, 47, with a stab wound to the body inside the apartment at 123 Melrose Street around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, according to police and sources. Allen was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
Kiasia Durham, 29, was arrested Monday and charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD.
"He was such a kind guy. He was a decent, good neighbor who always helped the other tenants," Justine said.
Allen worked for Amtrak at Penn Station and moved into the building in 2019, the same time Justine started living there. She recently left the building.
Allen and Durham used to fight in public and he would try to keep her out of the complex Justine said. One time, she saw Allen with a black eye, she said.
Durham would also get into squabbles with building security and allegedly wrecked some property, but no charges were ever filed, according to police and the neighbor.
"There was always a fight," Justine said.
Durham's mother lives in the building and she would stay with her on and off, according to sources.
Durham pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Tuesday and bail was set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond, according to court records. She is due back in court on Friday.
Durham has an open case for criminal mischief where she allegedly knocked a computer off a desk in a building at 490 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick on May 26, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Durham's lawyer could not immediately be reached Tuesday.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
