A Nigerian man living in New Orleans, United States, believed to be mentally ill, has been arrested and taken into custody by the police after allegedly stabbing his father and two sisters in their home, leaving his father dead.

Authorities have charged Chukwuebuka Eweni, 29, with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.

According to reports, the deceased, identified as Samuel Eweni, 75, was a computer science professor at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO). Police said he was killed in a residence on Pebble Drive in New Orleans East on Tuesday night, while two female relatives were also stabbed. One of the women has been released from hospital care, while the other remains under treatment and is expected to survive.

US news platforms, which quoted family members, reported that Chukwuebuka had long struggled with mental illness but had never previously been violent. They described the evening of the attack as ordinary before the incident occurred and said they are unsure what triggered it.

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After the stabbings, Chukwuebuka reportedly went to New Orleans East Hospital, where he often sought mental health support. Without knowledge of the crime, the hospital transferred him to a facility in Jefferson Parish, where he was located and arrested by authorities on Wednesday morning.

SUNO released a statement mourning the loss of Samuel Eweni. “Dr Eweni was more than an educator—he was a mentor and a guiding light to so many of our students,” said Dr Joseph Bouie Jr., Chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans.

“His contributions to the College of Business and Public Administration and to the university’s mission of transforming lives through education will be remembered and celebrated. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this deeply difficult time.”

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Last month, a 36-year-old Nigerian woman, Gbemisola Akayinode, was arrested and charged with felony murder following the death of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who succumbed to hyperthermia after being left in a vehicle for several hours in Texas.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the arrest on 17 October, stating that the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled the child’s death a homicide “Arrest update: today, HCSO Texas Homicide Detectives and our Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) arrested Gbemisola G. Akayinode for the murder of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled the death a homicide as a result of hyperthermia,” Sheriff Gonzalez wrote on X.

According to court documents, the incident occurred on 1 July at an industrial complex on Mayo Shell Road in Galena Park, near Houston. Akayinode reportedly left her daughter in the car while she attended work at a manufacturing plant. The child remained inside the vehicle for over eight hours on a day when temperatures reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Investigators said that Akayinode had left the child with food, ice cubes, water, a rechargeable fan, and melatonin to sleep. She lowered the car’s rear windows partially and covered the front windscreen, making it difficult for passersby to see inside.

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When Akayinode returned around 1:53 p.m., she found her daughter unresponsive and called for help. Despite attempts at CPR, the child was pronounced dead at LBJ Hospital.

Court records indicate that Akayinode had previously taken her daughter to work with her, citing a lack of funds for day care, though investigators discovered that her foreman had been covering child care costs.

She also reportedly blamed prescription medicine for her child’s death while admitting to giving her melatonin the night before and on the morning of the incident.