Philadelphia

Witness to Mom, Baby Stabbing: ‘I See Him … Standing Over Her, Slicing Her Up'

A man accused of stabbing his wife and 1-year-old daughter inside a Philadelphia home is now in custody.

Stephen Burton, 42, was found in Maryland and taken into custody without incident, according to police.

Police say Burton stabbed his wife, 37-year-old Danecia Burton and their daughter, 1-year-old Desiree Burton.

A neighbor who came to the aid of the victims described the horrific scene she found inside the West Oak Lane house where the violence erupted.

"I heard her screaming, screaming, so it woke me up out of my sleep to the point that I fell off the bed," said Donletta Bolds. "I went over there and I knocked on the door, and I see him through the window standing over her, slicing her up."

"I ran in the house to get my phone. As I was running out [of] the house with my phone, he ran in his car, sped off. I knocked on the door, asked her, 'Is everything OK?' She told me no, and I asked her did she need me to call the cops," Bolds recounted. "She said yes, she let me in, and when she let me in, she was leaning against the wall with her arm sliced up, and all I could do was find some paper towels to stop the bleeding."

Bolds said she was the one who called police to the house, on Dallas Street at the corner of Georgian Road, about 12:30 a.m. She told NBC10's Jesse Gary that prior to the stabbing, she had heard the couple fighting, and that the fighting escalated so badly that she ran next door to see if everything was OK. That's when she says she saw Stephen Burton, dressed only his underwear, jump into a burgundy vehicle outside the house and take off.

Danecia and Desiree Burton, were rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center. The baby was later transferred to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Both remain in critical condition. Bolds told NBC10 the baby appeared to have been stabbed in the stomach. A 4-year-old boy was also inside the home during the stabbing but was not harmed during the attack.

Burton is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday and will be charged with fugitive from justice in Maryland. At that point he will receive an update as to whether he will waive his rights and be brought back to Philadelphia or fight extradition. 

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