Killing, tense hunt, quiet end
Suspect held in NYC; his four children safe
LYNN - Authorities in New York City captured a fugitive wanted for murder and found his estranged girlfriend and their four children in Brooklyn last evening, ending a frantic day that began with a stabbing in Lynn followed by a manhunt that stretched across the Northeast.
Rodlyn Petitbois, 25, of Lynn, disappeared, police said, after he stabbed and killed Greenland Etienne, 33, a mother of four who apparently had taken in his girlfriend and children. Petitbois was found about 6:15 p.m. in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, while his family was discovered in a nearby park, police said. He was arrested as a fugitive and faces a charge of first-degree murder, authorities said.
Authorities in New York City said they found the missing family less than eight hours after Massachusetts State Police issued an Amber Alert at 10:44 a.m., their second such alarm in four days. Yesterday's search included federal immigration officials, the FBI, and authorities in New York, where investigators almost immediately suspected Petitbois had fled because he had once lived there.
Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department, said city police apprehended Petitbois about 45 minutes after New York State Police issued their own Amber Alert for the fugitive and missing family.
Petitbois was captured at the corner of Franklin Street and Union Avenue, Browne said in a telephone interview. "Three detectives in an unmarked police car roll up. One said 'Hey, Rod,' got his attention, went up to him, took him into custody. He then basically told us immediately where the family was. . . . He was not armed and he gave no resistance."
The girlfriend, Louna Eveillard, 26, and the children were found minutes later, sitting under a tree in Prospect Park, Browne said, adding that other than a wound to the mother's hand, everyone was is "in good health and good shape."
"We notified the Mass. State Police, which presumably will come down to take this person into custody," Browne said.
Police in Brooklyn said last night that they had no reason to believe the girlfriend was taken hostage or that the family was kidnapped, but they will let Massachusetts authorities decide.
"We do believe she went on her own free will, that's what we were led to believe," said Detective Brian Sessa.
Steve O'Connell, a spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, said that he expects Petitbois to be arraigned today in New York City as a fugitive from justice. If he waives rendition, he will be returned to Lynn to face the murder charge.
Lynn police were called to 99 High Rock St. shortly after 1 a.m. and found Etienne suffering from a stab wound to the eye. She was taken to North Shore Medical Center in Salem and transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was pronounced dead. Witnesses told police that Petitbois took his family captive and fled.
In documents obtained yesterday from Lynn District Court, an unnamed witness said Petitbois had assaulted Eveillard three weeks ago. The witness said that police had been called to their apartment on Whittier Street, but that Eveillard lied about the attack. O'Connell declined to comment on that incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
The witness told police "that Ms. Eveillard was scared of Rodney (sic) and was afraid he was going to kill her," according to the report. The witness said Eveillard later moved in with the Etiennes "so she could be safe."
Petitbois apparently spent the next few weeks searching for Eveillard and his children and found them Tuesday. "Rodney knocked on the door and said he wanted to speak to Louna," the witness told police.
The witness said Petitbois spent the night at the apartment, eating Chinese food and drinking cognac. At some point during the late hours, Petitbois insisted that Eveillard leave the apartment with him, the witness said.
And then he became angry, armed himself with two kitchen knives, and cut one of his girlfriend's hands, the witness said. When the witness's boyfriend said he was going to call police, Petitbois held a knife to his neck, the witness said. Then Etienne said she was going to call police, the witness said, and Petitbois attacked her, stabbing her in the head. "Ms. Etienne was on the floor immediately after he attacked her," the witness told police.
The witness said that Petitbois left the apartment after he saw the blood from Etienne's injury and that Eveillard left with her children shortly thereafter.
The report said another witness saw Petitbois cut his girlfriend's hand and stab Etienne.
Late yesterday afternoon, Massachusetts State Police released three photographs of the family taken by surveillance cameras, one showing Petitbois walking through Haymarket Station in Boston. The other two, which had time stamps of about 6:30 a.m., showed the family walking together through a turnstile at South Station, with Petitbois holding the hand of a child and Eveillard trailing them, carrying another child.
David Procopio, a State Police spokesman, said that based on those photographs and other information, authorities expanded the search to New York City. He could not explain why Eveillard appeared to be following Petitbois in the photos. "We have solid information that leads us to believe that Ms. Eveillard is neither an accomplice nor a willing participant in the defendant's attempted flight," he said.
After the search was launched yesterday, Blodgett said at a news conference that Eveillard had a fresh wound on her hand and may be in need of medical attention. He said she speaks broken English and is of Haitian descent.
Authorities identified the children as Ryan Petitbois, 3; Lyndsey Petitbois, 2; Lauren Petitbois, 1; and Roddick Petitbois, 11 months.
The case prompted State Police to issue the second Amber Alert this week. On Sunday, police issued an alert after Clark Rockefeller allegedly snatched his 7-year-old daughter from a social worker in the Back Bay. They were still being sought last night.
"Our witnesses have led us to believe that the children and their mother were taken against their will," Blodgett said yesterday, before the family was found.
Abraham Deng, 44, who lives near the Whittier Street apartment, said he saw Petitbois and Eveillard outside Tuesday.
"They were holding hands," he said. "Everything seemed OK."
Andrew Ryan and Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Jeannie M. Nuss contributed to this report. 