HE WALKS FREE
Bx. grand jury says slay was in self defense
An accused killer was released from jail Thursday after a Bronx grand jury determined he acted in self defense when he stabbed his girlfriend’s ex to death.
Manuel Williams, 36, got into a wild fight with his girlfriend and her ex Tyson Hawthorne who were sitting together in a double-parked SUV on E. 149th St. near Courtlandt Ave. in Mott Haven about 4 p.m. Nov. 24, according to cops.
NYPD detectives arrested Williams on Nov. 27 on a murder charge. But a Bronx grand jury voted to dismiss the case, believing he killed Hawthorne, 38, in self defense, officials said.
Williams was released from Rikers Island on Thursday after six days behind bars.
The fatal fight began outside a liquor store, said Yaxiri Mejia, an employee of nearby Asyah’ Sleep & Furniture. “They were arguing and cursing at each other, yelling ’stupid’, ’motherf——r’, stuff like that,” said Mejia.
Surveillance video obtained by The News shows Williams standing next to the SUV arguing with the people inside for just over a minute.
He then walked around to the driver’s side, swung open the door, and started stabbing Hawthorne.
When the passenger door opened, Williams hustled around the front of the SUV and jumped in. He hung on as the vehicle lurched forward.
Williams stabbed Hawthorne three times, said police. Hawthorne’s ex also suffered a slash wound to the arm during the fight.
Medics took Hawthorne to Lincoln Hospital, but he couldn’t be saved.
“Tyson’s last words were ‘Let’s come together and make plans to start businesses for the family,’” said Artlin Hawthorne, the deceased man’s older brother. “He was family-oriented.”
Hawthorne lived about a mile away from where he was fatally stabbed. He and his ex-girlfriend have a child in common.
“My brother was loving and caring and helpful to everyone he knew. And he would even be friends with people that were homeless,” said Artlin Hawthorne, 42. “He cared about his daughter and a son as they were the centerpiece of his life.”
A source said the two men had a longstanding beef and had often fought with each other. Williams previously attacked Hawthorne oover the summer, according to HHawthorne’s family.
In that incident, Williams sstabbed Hawthorne in the eye wwith a pair of scissors when Hawtthorne tried to visit his daughter aat his ex’s home back in August, rrelatives said. His wound luckily wwas superficial because he was wwearing glasses, relatives said.
Hawthorne’s family is furious tthe grand jury dismissed the ccharges and let Williams go free.
“I don’t believe that justice wwas served,” Artlin Hawthorne ssaid Thursday. “That guy will go bback home to his family while we aare still planning the service for TTyson.”
Hawthorne was on his way to help a friend organize an event when he was killed, his family said.
A childhood friend who wished to only be identified as Derrick last saw Hawthorne a day before his death.
“We were even talking about sports the Monday before he was killed,” Derrick said, looking over a makeshift memorial for Hawthorne erected outside the victim’s E. 165th St. building. “We’re both Giants fans.”
“He was a good guy, not confrontational and he was friendly,” Derrick added. “What happened to him wasn’t supposed to happen.”