A suspect wanted in connection with the stabbing death of a young Toronto woman was arrested Wednesday evening.
Durham Police confirmed they have arrested Patrick Kirk Barrett, 39, who Toronto Police had been seeking in the death of Lucita Charles.
Charles was found stabbed to death in her north-end apartment on Monday.
On Tuesday, Toronto police issued a warrant Barrett, who was believed to be in east-end Toronto or the Oshawa area.
Charles' friend, who didn't want to reveal her name, told ctvtoronto.ca that Barrett was Charles' boyfriend and was helping to raise her seven-year-old son. The boy reportedly suffers from cerebral palsy.
Charles, 28, came to Canada from St. Lucia about five years ago so that her son could receive adequate care, the friend said.
Charles' neighbours report hearing a fight early Monday morning that almost knocked pictures off their bedroom wall.
"We heard a lot of rolling around and banging on the walls. And the pictures were moving," Jack Jardine told CTV News on Tuesday. "This is exactly at 5 o'clock in the morning (on Monday) ... It went on for a minute or so, then it stopped."
Helen Jardine said they heard nothing the rest of the day.
Then at 4 p.m., "a young girl was outside on the balcony screaming, 'My sister, my sister' -- blood-curdling screams. So she must have come home and found her sister," she said.
Police were called to the Harding Avenue building, near Lawrence Avenue and Jane Street, around 4:35 p.m., where they discovered a woman dead in a first-floor unit. Friends had become worried after they couldn't reach Charles.
Neighbours described Charles as a kind, loving woman. However, they said she appeared very upset the day before her death.
Friends said Charles was a doting mother who re-established herself in Canada and hoped to become a teacher.
Someone put Charles' son on the Wheel-Trans bus on Monday morning to send him to school. Police would like to know who.
Charles is the city's 18th homicide victim of 2010.
Police would like anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477), at www.222tips.com, or by texting TOR and a message to CRIMES (274637).
