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The nine-year-old New Jersey boy who was stabbed and killed in a Harlem housing project on Saturday was murdered over a video game, according to the Daily News. Fourth grade student Anthony Maldonado was spending the weekend with his uncle in the General Grant Houses when 25-year-old Alejandro Morales — one of his uncle's roommates — plunged a knife into the boy's chest after an altercation involving a Tony Hawk skateboarding video game, according to police.
Morales allegedly stabbed Maldonado at around 3:30 am, after two of Morales' brothers who also live in the apartment left to get food. After the attack, Maldonado reportedly staggered into his uncle's room. "Uncle, uncle, I've been stabbed," he said before collapsing. Paramedics rushed the child to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, but he died within the hour. According to cops, Morales was Maldonado's cousin, but the victim's relatives say they aren't related to the suspect, the Times reports.
The killing stunned the victim's family. "Why would you kill my little boy?" said Maldonado's mother, Dolores Juela, 35. "He was such a good boy. He didn't deserve this. He was too young." The victim's uncle, 31-year-old Carlos Juela, couldn't figure out why his roommate turned against his nephew, who was described as an avid skateboarder and a "good-natured prankster" in the the Star-Ledger. "He was a friend. I can't believe this happened," Juela said. "He doesn't act right on the street but he always minded his manners in the house." Morales has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Update: sources are saying Morales has a history of mental illness and a long rap sheet with "dozens of arrests." He's been taken to Bellevue for evaluation.
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Morales, you're pathetic.
Why do you need roommates when you live in the projects?
To pay for your KFC. Food stamps dont work at popeyes.
he couldn't handle a 9 y/o taunting him while the kid was winning. what a man.
I'm waiting on the report that the perp was high or drunk and had mental problems.
I'm waiting for someone to blame videogames.
good to know 2010 is keeping up the tradition of unnecessary, ridiculous violence.
Who lets their kid hang out with strange adults at 3am?
I am also intrigued by:
"He doesn't act right on the street but he always minded his manners in the house."
WTF?
I mean sure, he stabbed people all the time on the bus. But in the house? He knows that ain't right.
Additionally, this is striking:
"Morales allegedly stabbed Maldonado at around 3:30 am, after two of Morales' brothers who also live in the apartment left to get food."
What "food" are you going to buy at 3am? I am pretty sure that this poor kid was hanging out with a bunch of adults who were drunk and/or high and that one of them was so drunk or high that he couldn't tolerate loosing a game to a child. Disgusting. Still, what sort of parent leaves their kid in such a situation. I don't care if he was related to one of them.
And, as another poster pouted out, who needs a "roommate" in a project ~ let alone three "roommates"?
Would you leave your child in an apartment full of adult male strangers for a weekend? I wouldn't.
The Chicken Spot! Anyway... This is probably one of the saddest ways to start the year! Morales will be taken care of nicely at Rikers!
You're passing a whole lot of judgment on urban living. Not everyone can afford a babysitter, or live alone (granted, I've never lived in the projects, but I've certainly lived in small, overcrowded conditions for the sake of lower rent).
What's for sure is the guy is fucked up and this is a regrettable tragedy.
I know all about urban living,and when you get a place in a project as the boy's uncle and his wife did you are charged a low rent based on your income. The only reason to have three "roommates" is if you need cash for some sort of "other" expenses, if you catch my drift.
I'm so fucking happy I work my arse off for money that gets taxed away so a bunch of Section 8 scum can buy Playstations and stagger drunkenly out to the local bodega at 3 o'clock in the fucking morning for sustenence for a no doubt hard day of sleeping in til' noon and sitting around their fucking apartment.
That's true for some people, but not all. Some take advantage but let's not use that as an excuse to never help anyone, ever.
What's that game cost? $120? The Wii sytem $300?
Times must be really tough.
Listen, I'm all in favor of "help" for people when they're down, emphasis on "when they're down." But when it ceases to be about "help" and becomes more "lifestyle choice", then I have a problem with it.
New York's an expensive city to live in. If you can't afford it, you should live someplace else.
In case you didn't read the details in the other articles, the kid was from New Jersey, the kid also was the owner of the Playstation and had brought it over to his uncle's place to play while he stayed there.
So no, your tax dollars are not going to buy anyone video games.
If you're going to bitch about stuff, at least get your facts straight first.
Rookie.
"He doesn't act right on the street...
Mhmm.
how the fuck does this fucking mother send her child off to stay with a bunch of men and ex convict?
the family was saying that knew the alleged attacker just got out of jail, and the kid was sent there anyway??
I agree with AnnaZed, what food could you buy at 3:00 am? I believe the poor kid was a victim of drug craze person as he was hanging around with the wrong people. Morales deserved to be put inside the slammer.
It's the city. You can buy food at any time of the day or night.
It is indeed a sad news to commence the year 2010, the poor boy is one unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance.
I would sue Tony Hawk for coming out with such a violent game.
3:30 AM and this 9 year old is playing video games with adults who have the same mental age as him? How can anyone sleep with all that racket going on?
There's lots of good food available at 3 in the morning – all night fried chicken places, bodegas with chips and soda, lots of cheap taco take outs. Don't forget this is the projects area and these people roll out of bed around midnight.
My heart bleeds every time I heard this kind of news. Our society doesn't need that kind of wasted person, he needs to pay with his crime.
"He doesn't act right on the street but he always minded his manners in the house."
Yeah, that sounds REALLY reassuring...
I don't understand why a Mom would allow her kid to hang around with drug craze people.
Morales should become cat food.
The uncle is truly insightful!
Can afford a PS3 and the latest games, but can't save up for an apartment of their own. Gotta love welfare.
Smh
Tear the projects down, or charge market rate. It is the only chance of dismantling this sick subculture.
Does anyone here feel better knowing that the taxpayer was subsidizing these losers and in turn they were turning a profit on the apartment by sub-letting to a soon to be child murderer?
We need the projects to help relieve all the overcrowded jails. That's what they're there for.
It really wouldn't dismantle it. They'd just create the same shit but worse somewhere in the outskirts of NY in their new enclaves. Then they'd prey on the poor weak and innocent. Just like those ghettos of baltimore like in the wire. The only difference is that the upper middle class of NY would get some relief from senseless violence from poor people. I'm always surprised that poor people can play such sophisticated video games with 12 buttons and strict regulations but can't use that same enthusiasm in real life.
Wasn't "The Wire" set in the projects?
That Tony Hawk game's shite too.
Who allows a 9 year-old to be up at 3:30 am playing video games (or anything)? I am in no way trying to excuse what this maniac did, but I just don't understand what the heck a 9 year-old is doing up at that hour.
video games? Shouldn't he be up on facebook raising virtual farm animals?
Reckless people should be raising virtual families!
3...2...1... Until the "mother" and the baby daddy (what slammer is he in upstate?) file a lawsuit against the taxpayers of NYC for failure to protect the child.
Life without for the killer, mandatory sterilization and lifelong denial of public benefits to the "mother" and "baby daddy". Let the "parents" fend for themslves in society, let's see how they survive. Better than when they sent their child to his death in the projects. And toss all the dirtbags from the murder scene, let them fend. After sterilization. Then burn the place to the friggin ground. 'Nuf said.
Just burn the place to the ground. The dirtbags will toss themselves from the murder scene.
What's with all the Russian hookers responding to this post?
Why did "Uncle" let a 4th grader stay up until 3:30 in the morning playing video games with an adult who has a history of arrests.
Trashy and neglectful behavior.
Oh, also....lethal injection for this Morales monster.
Trash.