A Queens man has been charged with the brutal murder of his mother, allegedly using a machete in a shocking domestic assault that left the victim with severe injuries, including wounds to the throat and liver, prosecutors reported on Wednesday.
The chilling details emerged during the arraignment of 26-year-old Amel Crawford, who is accused of the fatal stabbing of his 61-year-old mother, Joanne Crawford, on Tuesday morning in their Far Rockaway residence, according to authorities.
Queens Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Ruzza disclosed in court that the victim suffered 11 stab wounds. Among these, one penetrated her abdomen, damaging the liver and passing through her entire body. A blade was reportedly forced down her throat, resulting in a split tongue and a perforated trachea.
Police discovered the gruesome scene at approximately 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday. Amel Crawford was apprehended shortly after, following an attempt to evade officers by fleeing into the ocean, according to a police source.
Prosecutor Ruzza stated that the suspect attempted to escape by dashing into the surf at Rockaway Beach, but was subsequently captured by authorities.
“The defendant was taken into custody at Beach 62nd Street and Rockaway Boardwalk, where he had run into the water presumably to evade capture,” she said.
According to one police source, the mad dash “looked like he was trying to kill himself.”
He was arraigned Wednesday on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and ordered held without bail by Judge Sharifa Milena Nasser-Cuellar.
Joanne, a retired city corrections officer, was found inside the home around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday and pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother and son had a tumultuous relationship, with police responding to domestic disturbance complaints at the home, including two earlier this year — yet neither turned violent, sources said.
Amel Crawford, who has no criminal record, had a strained relationship with his mom because of her past career as a city corrections officer, which one relative said left her little time for mothering.
“He never was a troubled kid outside; he just had problems with her,” the accused killer’s cousin, Barry Crawford, told The Post. “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,” he said.
The fatal stabbing shocked neighbors, some of whom said they had seen Amel Crawford grow up.
“We are all pretty shaken up,” one local who asked not to be identified told The Post. “This is extremely shocking. We’re all just trying to process what happened. There are so many stories going around but we don’t know what to believe.”
Another neighbor called the family “nice people” who were already living on the block when he moved in 30 years ago.
“I watched him grow up from a little boy,” a woman who knew the family said. “We are all in shock. My whole family, we’re in shock. I still can’t believe this is real.”
Barry Crawford said he started “pouring tears” after learning about Joanne’s death and remembered her as a giving fixture of the community who was always there for her loved ones.
“Her father and my mother are brothers and sisters. We’ve been close since we were little kids. I’ll love her and miss her forever. I’ll never understand this tragedy or what has happened,” he said.
“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.”