‘I did what I had to do’ claims woman, 27, who ‘stabbed her boyfriend’s father, 71, to death’ in his New York apartment

71-year-old Jerry Fox was found dead in his Manhattan apartment early Wednesday

Cops on arrival met Cassandra Carter, son’s girlfriend, fleeing down the fire escape

Carter claims her boyfriend’s dad raped her

Neighbor said the victim had knocked on his door around dinnertime, begging to use his phone to call the police because, “His son’s girlfriend had locked herself in his bedroom with his phone”

The case is being investigated as a homicide though the city medical examiner has yet to determine cause of death

Authorities have not confirmed if there is evidence of the alleged rape

Carter faces second-degree murder charges, she is scheduled for arraignment on March 16

A 27-year-old woman who allegedly stabbed her boyfriend’s elderly father to death in his Manhattan apartment has claimed she did it because he raped her. 
Jerry Fox, 71, was found dead in a pool of his own blood with cuts to his neck, torso, legs and hands in the early hours of Wednesday morning when cops responded to multiple 911 calls for the apartment building on Seaman Avenue near West 207th Street in Inwood.
Responding officers arrived just as Cassandra Carter, 27, the girlfriend of Fox’s adopted son, was fleeing the crime scene, through a fire escape ladder from the second-floor apartment where her boyfriend and the victim, Jerry Fox, lived.
Fox senior was dead in the apartment with cuts on his body, police said. The case is being investigated as a homicide though the city medical examiner has yet to determine his cause of death.
Carter was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder over his slaying and was arraigned Thursday.. She has a previous arrest on an arson charge for allegedly setting fire to a floor mat in the apartment in 2016, sources said.
Neighbors said Fox lived with his adopted son. They said Carter either lived there or visited on a regular basis.
A resident said her late neighbor man had knocked on his door around dinnertime, begging to use his phone to call the police.
“His son’s girlfriend had locked herself in his bedroom with his phone,” he recalled.
“He came out of his apartment and asked to use our phone. He called the police. He was physically scared of her because she’s big and strong.”
The neighbor said he didn’t hear what Fox told cops over the phone, but police came a short time later, and the man went back to his apartment.
The cops came, and there was lots of yelling and shouting,” he said.
“He seemed like a good guy,” the neighbor said. “He just had the burden of his son’s girlfriend. We’ve heard yelling before. I think she just became an unwanted guest.”

Police received multiple calls around 2:30 am Wednesday morning to the second-floor apartment on at 165 Seaman Avenue that Fox shared with his son. 
When officers arrived on the scene, they spotted Carter making her way down the fire escape and walking away, prosecutors said Thursday.
A sergeant called out to her and she initially sped up in an apparent attempt to flee before stopping and telling the officer of the alleged sexual assault.   
‘The guy in the apartment raped me,’ she told the cop, according to the criminal complaint. 
The 71-year-old homeowner, who previously worked for Verizon Communications as a research analyst in IT finance was pronounced dead at the scene. 
Carter allegedly said she and Fox both cut each other and she sprayed him with roach spray but said she thought he was now dead.: ‘I did what I had to do. I think he’s dead. I cut him and he cut me. I sprayed him with roach spray. He’s in the apartment where I left him,’ she reportedly said.
Carter then gave the officer a key to the apartment and they entered to find Fox’s bloodied body lying on the floor with multiple slash wounds, prosecutors said.  Carter was arrested on a homicide charge Wednesday night.  
Authorities have not confirmed if there is evidence of the alleged rape or whether the allegation has impacted the decision to bring second-degree rather than first-degree murder charges. 

‘The NYPD takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors,’ the statement read.  
One neighbor said Fox had come to his apartment just hours before his death because of an alleged altercation with Carter.  
Fox told the neighbor Carter had locked herself in his bedroom with his phone and asked to use his phone to call the police because he was ‘physically scared’ of her. 
‘He called the police. He was physically scared of her because she’s big and strong,’ the neighbor said.
He said Fox used his phone but he didn’t hear what the 71-year-old told police during the call.  
Cops then arrived on the scene and ‘there was lots of yelling and shouting’ coming from Fox’s apartment, the neighbor said. 

The incident unfolded around dinnertime Tuesday, he said, just hours before Fox’s body would be discovered by officers. 
A former neighbor named said the victim was close with his son, and did what he could to protect him.
“I’d see his son with him when he was a little boy, going in and out,” she said. “When he was younger, he would mention that he had adopted his son. He seemed proud of that. It appeared on the outside that their relationship was fine.”
But the relationship with the girlfriend was another matter.
“He had some run-ins with her in the past,” Sherry said. “We heard stories that they had domestic scuffles. He tried to smooth it over at the time, because he cared about his son. I feel really bad for him. Because he was religious and he really tried to be a good person.”
The neighbor described Fox as a ‘good guy’ who carried the ‘burden’ of his son’s girlfriend who had become an ‘unwelcome guest’ in their home.
‘We’ve heard yelling before. I think she just became an unwanted guest,’ they said. 
Another neighbor also told the outlet they were aware of ‘run-ins’ between Fox and Carter prior to Wednesday’s incident. 
Sherry, a 73-year-old resident, said she had heard rumors of ‘domestic scuffles’ with Carter but insisted Fox was close to his son.’
He had some run-ins with her in the past. We heard stories that they had domestic scuffles. He tried to smooth it over at the time, because he cared about his son,’ she said. 
‘I feel really bad for him. Because he was religious and he really tried to be a good person.’  
It wasn’t clear if Carter lived with Fox and his son in the apartment or just visited regularly. 
Carter was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court and denied bail. She is due to next appear in court Monday.  
Police sources revealed that Carter had been arrested at least once in the past over a 2016 incident at the apartment where she was accused of arson.