Man accused of carrying out deadly crime spree across Manhattan arrested
MANHATTAN (WABC) -- A man accused of carrying out a nearly week-long deadly crime spree across Manhattan was arrested by police on Christmas Eve.
Roland Codrington, 35, is now facing several charges including murder and attempted murder.
Police say he first slashed a 51-year-old man's neck in the East Village on December 19.
According to investigators, the victim had just left a nearby bar and was walking on Avenue A around 1 a.m. when video shows Codrington approach him.
A brief dispute occurs and then Codrington pulls out a knife and slashes the victim across the neck.
He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
Police say neither witness statements nor video evidence indicated any prior incidents at the bar.
They said a woman was with Codrington at the time.
Three days later, on December 22, police say Codrington entered a bar on 2nd Avenue in East Harlem around 11:30 p.m. with a pit bull and a baseball bat.
Investigators say he went behind the bar where he choked a female bartender when the baseball bat and destroyed property.
When two male employees, a 35-year-old and a 31-year-old, intervened, he stabbed them with a knife.
The 35-year-old was stabbed in the chest and back while the 31-year-old male was stabbed in the back.
Both were taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Codrington fled the scene, but witnesses were able to identify him as he's a regular at the bar.
Just a few hours later, around 2:15 a.m. December 23, officers found 60-year-old Bruce Maurice Henry stabbed to death inside Marcus Garvey Park in East Harlem.
Investigators found video from near the park that showed a man and a woman getting into Henry's black Mercedes Benz.
Less than 12 hours later, the car was pulled over and Codrington was arrested.
Police say the woman seen with Codrington during the first fatal stabbing and again entering Henry's car is his girlfriend.
Investigators say she is involved in the investigation and hasn't been charged as of yet.
Homicides so far this year are trending down 11.4% compared to the same time period in 2021.
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