Kayla Henriques, 18, was arrested early Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.
According to The New York Times, about three days before the murder, the two friends had gotten into a dispute that started with a $20 loan. Richards had lent her friend the money so Heriques could buy Pampers for her 11-month old son, but Richards became furious when she found out that Heriques had spent the money on something else.
Over the weekend, the argument escalated via Facebook comments and text messages.
“U don’t do 4no 1. ... I have no kids and I refuse 2take care of any1 elses so yeah I will be needing that $20. ... this the last time u will con me into giving u money,” Richards posted at about 5:44 p.m. Sunday, according to London’’s Daily Mail.
Henriques replied, “Dnt try to expose me mama but I’m not tha type to thug it ova facebook see u wen u get frm wrk.”
The argument continued, and at 8:52 p.m., Richards said, “Ima have the last laugh,” to which Henriques replied: “We will see.”
Roughly 24 hours after the last message was posted, Richards reportedly went to Henriques’ apartment and confronted her about the money. The argument began in the kitchen and continued in a bedroom, where Richards was stabbed, police said.
Richards stumbled out into a hallway, where she was found by one of Henriques’ relatives.
“She wasn’t panicking,” the relative told the New York Daily News. “She was calm. I called the ambulance and put pressure on [the wound]. I did everything I could to try to save the girl.”
Unfortunately, Richards died at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center.
Investigators reportedly found the steak knife at the crime scene and followed a blood trail to a neighboring apartment building, where Henriques was arrested.
According to the Times, Henriques is an 11th-grader at John Adams High School. The newspaper said Richards had graduated from John Jay College in May with a degree in criminal justice. She worked as a security guard at JPMorgan Chase in Manhattan and planned to attend Brooklyn Law School.
“We are very saddened by this tragic situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with Kamisha’s family and friends,” JPMorgan Chase said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “She was an extraordinary employee who had a wonderful reputation among her colleagues, and she will be deeply missed.”
(아주경제 이수지 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com