Police arrested a 45-year-old Bronx man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death and seriously wounding her teenage son inside their apartment on Sherman Avenue in the Highbridge area around 6:40 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in what investigators described as a domestic dispute.
The attack left 42-year-old Yesenia Hall dead and her 16-year-old son hospitalized, authorities said, jolting neighbors in a densely packed stretch of apartment buildings near the Cross Bronx Expressway. Investigators said the suspect, Juan Rivas, lived with Hall in the same apartment and fled after the stabbing before officers arrived. By Sunday, police and local officials said Rivas had been taken into custody and charged, while the teen remained in stable condition as detectives continued piecing together the final minutes inside the home.
Officers from the NYPD’s 44th Precinct responded to 911 calls reporting an assault in progress at 956 Sherman Ave., police said. The call came in just before 7 a.m., and arriving officers found blood in the third-floor hallway that led them to a nearby apartment. Inside, police said, Hall had been stabbed multiple times, including wounds to her neck, torso and back. Her son was also found with stab wounds to his neck and back. Emergency medical crews took both to NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln, where Hall was pronounced dead. Police said the teen survived the initial attack and remained hospitalized, listed in stable condition, as relatives and neighbors tried to understand how a morning argument ended in deadly violence.
Investigators said early evidence pointed to a domestic relationship between Hall and the man they later identified as Rivas. Police sources said Rivas and Hall lived together, and detectives treated the stabbing as domestic violence from the outset. Authorities have not publicly laid out a detailed motive or said what set off the confrontation, and they have not released a timeline of events inside the apartment beyond the emergency calls and the discovery of the victims. Neighbors reported hearing frantic shouting and pleas to stop coming from behind the apartment door, and police said the suspect was seen leaving the building before officers arrived. In initial reports, investigators described the fleeing man as wearing a brightly colored construction-style vest, a detail that circulated quickly through the building as residents watched officers secure the hallway and collect evidence.
By Sunday, police and local news outlets reported that Rivas had been arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Authorities have not said whether the knife used in the attack has been recovered or where it was found, and they have not publicly described whether any other weapon was involved. Police also have not said whether there were prior calls to the apartment related to domestic disputes, whether Hall had sought protection orders, or whether the family had recently moved. The NYPD did not release the name of the teen, who is a minor, and detectives have not discussed whether he was targeted during the attack or injured while trying to intervene.
The stabbing unfolded in Concourse Village and the Highbridge section, neighborhoods with busy commercial corridors and older residential buildings where families often share tight spaces and neighbors routinely hear day-to-day life through hallway doors. Sherman Avenue runs alongside a web of ramps and overpasses that feed the Cross Bronx Expressway, and the surrounding blocks sit within the 44th Precinct, which covers parts of the Grand Concourse area. Police data cited in local reporting showed the precinct had recorded one murder year to date through Feb. 22, compared with three at the same point in 2025, underscoring how a single violent morning can reshape the sense of safety in a building. Residents said the sound of sirens and the sight of detectives in the hallway lingered long after the victims were taken away.
The case is expected to move through the Bronx criminal courts, where prosecutors typically outline the allegations at an arraignment and a judge sets conditions for detention or release while the case proceeds. Police said Rivas faces serious felony charges tied to Hall’s death and the injuries to her son, and investigators are expected to present evidence such as witness statements, physical evidence recovered from the apartment, and medical records describing the injuries. Prosecutors may also seek additional charges as the investigation develops, including counts tied to the location of the attack or the relationship between the suspect and the victims. Detectives have not said whether surveillance cameras in the building captured the suspect leaving, or whether they are relying on eyewitness descriptions from residents who saw him in the stairwell or outside on the street.
In the hours after the stabbing, the building’s hallway became a narrow crime scene as officers restricted access and residents tried to check on one another. Some neighbors said they recognized Hall as a familiar face in the building and described a household that included at least one teenager. Others said they were shaken by how quickly the situation escalated from shouting to an emergency response. Police have not released details about Hall’s background or work, and they have not said whether any relatives were present in the apartment during the attack. Investigators also have not said whether the teen was able to call for help himself or whether another neighbor placed the emergency call. As the day progressed, residents watched detectives move in and out, and the neighborhood’s usual Saturday rhythm gave way to quiet conversations in stairwells and on the sidewalk outside 956 Sherman Ave.
As of Sunday, March 1, authorities said Rivas was in custody facing multiple charges, while Hall’s son remained hospitalized in stable condition. The next expected milestone is Rivas’ first appearance in court, where prosecutors are expected to describe the allegations and begin the formal process that will determine how the case proceeds.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.