Police took Lashawn Mackey, 47, into custody and charged him with the killing on Saturday. Police say he is a temporary worker in the building where Maria Hernandez lived.
Hernandez was killed on Wednesday inside her home on West 83rd Street. Someone took the building's surveillance video, making it harder to figure out who had been there.
Hernandez's sister, Maria Terrero, discovered the victim during a wellness check. The two had just spent the evening with each other.
"She said, 'good night,' I said ,we'll talk tomorrow, when I see you tomorrow,," Terrero said.
Later Wednesday night, the victim's daughter called Terrero.
"She said, 'we keep calling my mom and she doesn't answer the phone,' I said, 'well, I think it's OK, but, anyway, let me go and check on her' and that's when I found the situation," Terrero said.
There were no signs of forced entry in the apartment and police do not yet know if anything was taken.
"She was an excellent human being. A wonderful lady. She's kind, loving, caring, everything you can imagine a nice, sweet person can be," Terrero said.
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