Police say Fayzieva Mavlyuda, 56, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her neck inside her Bensohurst apartment on West 8th Street.
Maftuna Khakimova, 27, Kamila Shavkatova, 5, and Timur Shavkatov, 4, were also found dead inside.
Neighbors say the two kids were siblings, the 27-year-old was their mother and the 56-year-old was her mother-in-law.
Shahboz Rajabboev, 24, was arrested and charged with murder.
An area resident said the news of the deaths was shocking and unexpected as everyone in the building is familiar with each other.
"Most people have been around (for years)," he said. "Everybody knows everybody. Everybody helps each other. It's not a bad neighborhood," Kenneth Scott said.
Juan Perez lives across the street from the apartment building and he says he was woken up on Friday night by the cries of anguish as people sat on his stoop.
"There were multiple men sobbing uncontrollably and a lot of other men trying to console," said Perez.
At the time, he was unaware of the horrendous scene in the apartment across the street - now he understands just how much pain they were in.
"If it had to be tragic for him to be like that. I have three kids. Nobody wants that," he added.
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