Overview
- The Manhattan district attorney charged Alon Riabichev, 45, with second-degree murder in the killing of neighbor Lev Vayner, 80, inside Vayner’s Washington Heights apartment.
- Prosecutors say Riabichev told a 911 operator he had a “psychotic break” and that he “killed somebody,” adding, “The knife is on the table.”
- First responders arrived around 3:15 a.m. Monday and found Vayner unresponsive with three stab wounds to his torso and neck, according to the criminal complaint.
- A judge ordered Riabichev held in jail pending his next appearance on Friday in Manhattan criminal court.
- Police say the men knew each other and are still investigating motive, and precinct data show homicides and felony assaults in the area are down this year; an attorney for Riabichev could not be reached.