Bronx man stabs girlfriend to death on balcony over argument about sex

Cops said the suspect tried to throw the victim off the third-floor apartment balcony on Needham Ave. in the Bronx, police said



















A Bronx man stabbed his girlfriend to death on a balcony in full view of terrified neighbors Tuesday, then was shot by cops, police and witnesses said.

The mayhem began about 8:30 a.m. when cops responded to a 911 call for a fight between the couple, identified by police sources as Terenace Williams and Frederick Mendez. The pair have a history of domestic violence incidents, police said.

"When the argument started, everyone came outside," said neighbor Tommy Brown, 38. "She didn't want to have sex, she didn't want to sleep with him. That's what they were arguing about."

Cops arrived to find Mendez stabbing Williams and attempting to throw her off their third-floor apartment balcony on Needham Ave. in the Bronx, police said.

"He had her by a headlock and kept stabbing her," said neighbor Oscar Brinson, 47. "A woman kept saying, 'Let her go!' and he screamed, 'No, she ruined my life!'"

A cop fired at Mendez, hitting him two or three times, police sources said. Mendez screamed in pain and retreated into the apartment, locking himself inside.

Cops on a neighboring balcony pulled Williams to safety. She was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, but could not be saved, cops said.

Williams worked as a nurse, neighbors said.

An NYPD hostage-negotiation team spent three hours on the phone with Mendez but couldn't persuade him to surrender, police said.

When an NYPD Emergency Service Unit gained entry to the apartment, Mendez surrendered peacefully. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center.

In addition to gunshot wounds, Mendez has minor injuries from attempting to cut himself during the stand-off, a source said.

Neighbors said Mendez used a small kitchen knife to kill Williams. A knife was recovered from the scene, police sources said.

Mendez, a commercial airline pilot and Navy veteran, had spent the night before his rampage sleeping on the street between two cars, a half-empty bottle of Hennessy cognac at his side, neighbors said. He moved in with Williams about two years ago.

"That man is a crazy man," said a neighbor across the hall from the couple who declined to give her name. "He was always so controlling. I told him to leave her alone all the time. He always complained about her, saying she's a bad person."