A Brooklyn throat-slashing sufferer allegedly killed by an estranged boyfriend had been badly battered by him previously and compelled to flee to home violence shelters as not too long ago as January, the sufferer’s sister advised The Submit.
Eryka Caldwell, 41, was attempting to kick 38-year-old Jonathan Fernandez out of the Bushwick residence Sunday morning when prosecutors mentioned the accused killer allegedly went right into a rage and slit the sufferer’s throat — then sat calmly on the couch and waited for cops, authorities mentioned.
“She tried to search out the nice in everyone,” Caldwell’s sister, Contessa, mentioned throughout a phone interview.
“If there was only a monster or evil, she nonetheless tried to search out the smallest good in that individual,” the grieving sibling mentioned. “And this time, [there] simply was no good for her to search out or her to repair.”
Caldwell, who moved from Kentucky to the Large Apple at age 18, had solely moved into the Bushwick residence in March however had been unable to maintain the ex-lover away, Contessa mentioned.
Fernandez already had a string of busts for theft, housebreaking and theft of service relationship to 2015 — together with an alleged assault of Caldwell in 2024, in line with legislation enforcement sources.
As many as 20 different arrests have since been sealed.
“He was arrested in January, after which it was two extra incidents,” Caldwell’s sister mentioned. “I don’t know if he was arrested for them, however I do know it was two extra incidents the place police needed to come to the scene and it was home violence.
“He didn’t get locked up,” she mentioned. “They moved her to 2 totally different shelters. After he bought arrested, he nonetheless discovered her, I don’t know the way that went.”
She mentioned her sibling — who recognized as a “proud trans lady” — even stored the troubled relationship a secret from the remainder of the household.
“When it got here to her relationships, if it was abusive or something, she didn’t permit me to know,” she mentioned.
“I simply want she would have reached out for assist or advised anyone in code or one thing,” she added. “Like, what was happening, so she might have gotten the assistance or anyone might have come down there.”
Round 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Caldwell texted 911 for assist, and cops arriving on the scene frantically tried to get via the door as screams may very well be heard coming from inside.
“Assist me, he’s stabbing me,” the sufferer yelled out to the officers, in line with prosecutors.
Police finally have been in a position to climb in via a window by pushing in an AC unit — and allegedly discovered Fernandez sitting calmly on the sofa whereas the bloodied sufferer lay dying at his ft within the blood-soaked room, prosecutors mentioned.
The accused killer, who’s dealing with second-degree homicide and different costs, appeared in court docket for the primary time on Monday night time sporting a white Tyvek go well with. His lawyer requested a psych analysis and he was ordered held with out bail at Rikers Island.
Based on Brooklyn prosecutors, Fernandez bizarrely claimed self-defense.
“The sufferer began swinging a knife, so the defendant swung the knife too and hit the sufferer first,” Assistant District Lawyer Tziyonah Langsam mentioned, describing the accused killer’s claims.
Fernandez is due again in court docket for arraignment on Friday.
