Staten Island Man Fatally Stabbed at Home Girlfriend Calls a Drug Den

A 38-year-old man was stabbed to death at a house on Staten Island, police said Monday. The victim's girlfriend described the property as a drug den and said she believes his dealer was responsible.

Police identified the victim as Jonathan Winokur. He suffered multiple stab wounds across his body at a home on Union Avenue near Richmond Terrace in the Mariners Harbor neighborhood at about 10:40 p.m. Sunday, according to officers.

A 58-year-old man whom police described as a person of interest was taken into custody at the scene. He is being questioned by detectives.

Winokur's girlfriend, Elizabeth Ferone, 35, told the Daily News she believes a drug dealer killed him and that the attacker "was probably high out of his mind." She said Winokur often visited the house to buy marijuana, and that Sunday's attack was not the first time the dealer had threatened him with a knife. Ferone said she had earlier seen the two men start fighting, with the dealer chasing Winokur out of the house while holding a knife.

Ferone said Winokur liked to present himself as tough but was soft-hearted. "Jonathan was a mushy boy," she said. "He played the tough guy, but I loved him." She said the two had had a crush on each other since they were 5 years old, and that she remains in shock. "I'm still waiting for him to walk down the block," she said.

A cousin, who gave his name as William, said Winokur worked as a security guard and leaves behind two children, ages 5 and 7. "He loved his children and his family," the cousin said. "He didn't deserve what happened to him. Big teddy bear, we called him. He didn't have a violent bone in his body."

Neighbors said the house had a poor reputation well before the killing. They described constant shouting among residents and frequent police visits to break up fights. "Police coming … it's almost a daily occurrence," said a man who lives next door. "That house is a troubled house. They are always at each other's throats." He added: "The house is a nuisance on this street. People know it."

Another resident, longtime neighbor Ricardo Ramcharan, said young people living at the house harass him daily. He said one of them threatened to stab him after he demanded that the bullying stop. Ramcharan said he was never stabbed, but that a man he described as the youngsters' father once punched him in the face after he asked the teens to leave him alone. "I keep to myself. I'm an immigrant. I'm not here to join your scuffle," he said. "This whole neighborhood went to s–t!"