Woman Charged With Murder After Elderly Man Found Dead In Inwood

INWOOD, NY — Police have charged 27-year-old Cassandra Carter with the murder of 71-year-old Jerry Fox after officers found the elderly man dead in his Inwood apartment with cuts across his body.

Carter was taken into custody at the scene after reports say she was seen leaving the building via the fire escape just as police arrived, according to the NYPD and a report in The New York Daily News.

Neighbors told the Daily News that the 71-year-old man lived with his adopted son and the younger man's girlfriend Carter either lived with them or made regular visits.

On Wednesday night, police confirmed that Carter did live with Fox in the Inwood apartment on Seaman Avenue near West 207th Street.

That night, the elderly man had knocked on a neighbor's door and begged to use his phone to call the police, according to the Daily News.

"His son's girlfriend had locked herself in his bedroom with his phone," he recalled to the Daily News. "He came out of his apartment and asked to use our phone. He called the police. He was physically scared of her because she's big and strong."

Read More: Woman In Custody After Man Found Dead In Inwood: NYPD