Suspect arrested in murders of man, nanny found dead at suburban New Jersey home
MAPLEWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police have made an arrest in the killings of a man and a live-in nanny who worked with his family in New Jersey.
According to court documents, Joseph Porter allegedly chased down Karen Bermudez-Rodridguez after she tried to break up with him and stabbed her to death, then killed the father of the family she worked for.
Bermudez-Rodriguez, 26, was found lying in the street on Walton Road near Jefferson Avenue in Maplewood around 6:00 a.m. Saturday, after police responded to a report of a woman being assaulted.
Officials said she had been stabbed but made it out of the home before she collapsed in the street with her hands bound. She was later pronounced dead at Beth Israel Medical Center.
Officers then found the body of 40-year-old David Kimowitz fatally stabbed inside a home nearby. The AP reports Kimowitz owned The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club in New York's Union Square.
Comedian Rich Vos posted that Kimowitz was a "great guy and friend." Aaron Berg wrote Kimowitz was "essential to New York." Paul Virzi said it was "just sickening."
Kimowitz's wife and children were not home. The family had moved to Maplewood about a year and a half ago.
After an investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force and the Maplewood Police Department, Porter, 27, was charged in connection with the deaths.
Authorities said he had been dating Bermudez-Rodriguez, who was employed as an au pair for the Kimowitz family.
Text messages between the suspect and Bermudez-Rodriguez show she was trying to break up with him. Officials said he had keys to the house and she wanted them back.
Police say he used the keys to enter the home and attacked Kimowitz and Bermudez-Rodriguez.
Authorities say the suspect tried to flee to Mexico but was detained at Newark Airport.
Other nannies and au pairs in the area gathered over the weekend to remember Bermudez-Rodriguez and take a stand against violence and hatred toward women.
Porter is charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal restraint. He is being held in the Essex County Correctional Facility.
A memorial service for Bermudez-Rodriguez will be held at Morrow Church on Wednesday at 7 p.m. A funeral for Kimowitz will be held at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
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