A man has been arrested in the vicious beating death of a Washington Heights mom in her home, whose 7-year-old daughter was present at the time of the killing, police said. Tiliek Thompson, 41, surrendered to police custody Saturday, his lawyer told the Daily News.
Thompson was hit with a slew of charges, including murder, assault, strangulation, criminal obstruction of breathing, child abandonment and acting in manner injurious to a child, in connection with the slaying of Lovay Williams, 27, who officers found last Sunday with trauma to her head and neck.
Thompson, with his lawyer present, turned himself into police custody at the 33rd Precinct stationhouse Saturday morning.
“A young woman is dead, which is the most important thing to the members of the public,” Thompson’s attorney Neville Dexter said. “But equally important, if not more important, to my client is that my client is treated fairly and has his day in court, however that plays out.”
Williams’ little daughter spent the night, before responding officers arrived, sleeping next to her mother in their Washington Heights apartment — not realizing her mom was dead.
The little girl answered the door when cops came knocking, responding to a 911 wellness-check call, at the apartment at W. 156th St. near Amsterdam Ave. around 1:35 p.m.
“I’m sure the system will work out fairly and that’s what I’m here to do,” Dexter said. “It doesn’t sound to me like it was a murder so far, but that’s what I think about the case based on the little bit that I know.”
Thompson’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Saturday.
Prior to the arrest, police said they were looking for a man with whom Lovay was romantically involved. She had been casually dating the man, who her family says they believe killed her, for about two years.
“He’s the devil,” NuQuan Williams, the victim’s father, said of the suspect. “Anytime you put your hands on a woman, you’re a piece of garbage… For him to do that in front of my granddaughter, I’m just at a loss of words.”
The victim’s family, including her young daughter, attended a balloon release vigil Monday night at Courtney Callender Playground in Harlem.
“She witnessed the whole murder,” NuQuan Williams said of the victim’s young daughter. “My granddaughter told the detectives everything, play by play… She has to suffer and she experienced a lot of trauma.”
“He tried to clean (Lovay) up” after killing her, NuQuan said, based on what his granddaughter told cops.
“He tried to put (Lovay) in the bathtub,” he said. “After he put her in the bathtub, he tried to clean the house down. Put her back into the bed. Put the covers over her trying to think about his getaway plan.”
Lovay’s daughter was too young to understand what was going on, her family says.