Armel Crawford was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon

A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in New York City.

Armel Crawford, 26, was arrested after 61-year-old Joanne Crawford was found fatally stabbed at a home in Queens, the New York Police Department (NYPD) told PEOPLE.

NYPD said it received a 911 call about a stabbing around 10:42 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 7. When officers arrived, they found Joanne with “multiple stab wounds.” Emergency medical services (EMS) pronounced her dead at the scene, police said.

Crawford was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD.

The investigation into this case is ongoing.

Photos taken at the scene showed medical examiner officials removing a body from inside the Queens home on a stretcher as Joanne’s family and friends looked on nearby and mourned.

The New York Post reported that Armel was the only son of Joanne, a retired corrections officer.

Joanne’s cousin, Barry Crawford, told the New York Post that the 26-year-old had a “tense relationship” with his mother over the years due to her job as a corrections officer.

“He never was a troubled kid outside; he just had problems with her,” Barry told the outlet. “I think his biggest problem with her is that she worked for corrections; she was a retired corrections officer, so she was never home… He felt that she never gave him the quality time that he desired.”

Barry also told the New York Post that he believed a disagreement may have sparked between the two before the incident over whether Armel could take care of his grandmother.​

He described Joanne to the outlet as a “loving person” who was selfless and kind to anyone she met.

“Her father and my mother are brothers and sisters. We’ve been close since we were little kids,” he told the New York Post. “I’ll love her and miss her forever. I’ll never understand this tragedy or what has happened.”

“This tragedy will never be understood by this family because of who she is. She did everything for everyone who came in contact with her. Anyone who knew Joanne Crawford knew she was a loving person,” he added.

Source: https://people.com/man-26-arrested-in-connection-with-fatal-stabbing-of-61-year-old-retired-corrections-officer-12014038