A 47 year old mother of four was brutally stabbed to death inside her Harlem apartment building early Monday morning, allegedly by her ex boyfriend who police say waited for hours to ambush her. The victim, identified by family as Carmen Yadira Lopez, was attacked in the hallway of her building on West 129th street just after 4:20am Surveillance audio captured Carmen pleading Lewis Stop as she was stabbed repeatedly in the face, head and neck. A building porter discovered her collapsed on the third floor landing, still holding her keys, and called 911. She was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside but could not be saved. Investigators believe the suspect, described as her ex partner, sat waiting in the stairwell for nearly two hours before the attack. A person of interest was taken into custody later in the day, but police say charges are still pending. Family members describe Carmen as a devoted mother who lived with her two youngest children and her mother in the building. Nine neighbors say the building has always been quiet, calling the killing heartbreaking and shocking.
