The rapper boyfriend of Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter has been charged with second-degree murder after she was fatally stabbed on a Manhattan sidewalk in an apparent cocaine-fueled exorcism.
Police said on Monday that Lamar Davenport, 30, is accused of killing E'Dena Hines, 33, who was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest near her New York home in Washington Heights early on Sunday morning.
Davenport was in a relationship with Miss Hines, who was found in front of her apartment building on West 162nd Street and pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital, officers added.
George Hudacko, 65, who saw the 3am attack from his window and called 911, said Davenport was stabbing Hines and screaming: 'Get out, devils. In the name of Jesus Christ, I cast you out.’
Davenport, an aspiring actor with a criminal record and a history of drug abuse, was said to be reciting Bible verses before being dragged from his girlfriend's body - which had 16 stab wounds.
He was taken to the New York's Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center to undergo psychological testing before he was questioned by police.
Miss Hines was the granddaughter of Morgan Freeman's first wife Jeanette Adair Bradshaw and a regular on the red carpet with the Academy Award-winning actor. She also appeared in a number of movies herself.
Morgan, 78, who was once forced to deny a romantic relationship with Hines, said on Sunday night: 'The world will never know her artistry in talent. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.'
He added: 'I want to acknowledge the tremendous outpouring of love and support my family has received regarding the tragic and senseless passing of my granddaughter E'Dena Hines. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.'
Nicole Alexander, a childhood friend of Miss Hines who attended French Camp Academy in Mississippi with her, paid tribute to her today.
She told DailyMail.com: 'I knew here in junior high and we went to high school at French Camp Academy. She was such a happy, funny, sweet girl.'
Hines played the part of a receptionist in the movie 5 Flights Up, which was released in May and starred Freeman and Diane Keaton.
Witness Brydon Tarafa, 28, told Dailymail.com that he was in his apartment when he heard a woman scream and then a man maniacally shouting 'Jesus Christ is born'.
According to Davenport's Facebook, he used to work for an auto parts shop and studied English Literature at New York University. Police said he has two young children.
He was trying to become a rapper - performing under the nickname Lyric.
One witness to the murder, George Hudacko, described the demented scene that unfolded around 3am.
'"Get out, devils! I cast you out, devils! In the name of Jesus Christ, I cast you out!," the boyfriend screamed,' said Hudacko, who saw the attack from his window in Washington Heights and called 911.
Witnesses told The New York Post that Davenport continued to stab at Hines' lifeless body until he was arrested.
When officers arrived, he was reportedly still making the stabbing motion while the knife was stuck in her chest - and he didn't have anything in his fist.
A law enforcement source also told the newspaper Davenport may have been high on cocaine at the time.
They added that he had six past arrests for crimes, including marijuana possession and petit larceny.
In the past Morgan Freeman has called for marijuana to be decriminilized - and declared in a recent interview that he has been using the drug on a regular basis for five decades.
Ray Rosario, who claims to be Davenport's best friend, said he went out for dinner with Davenport, Hines and other friends late on Saturday night - and it was the happiest he had seen Hines for a long time.
He told The Daily Beast: 'I’m still trying to come to grips with what happened. I’m caught between the hate I have for him, my love for him being my brother, and my heart breaking for her.'
Rosario added the pair seemed to be 'ecstatic' just hours before the murder.
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