Brooklyn Man Who Stabbed 19-Year-Old Twin, Samyia Spain, Is Identified, Police Say

Four days after a 19-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in front of her twin sister outside a Brooklyn deli, law enforcement officials are still searching for the man who is accused of killing her when she rejected his advances.

The police identified the man as Veo Kelly, 20, of Brooklyn, Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives, told reporters on Thursday. He said U.S. marshals are searching for Mr. Kelly, whose criminal history includes an arrest on robbery charges.

Early on Sunday, the woman, Samyia Spain, and her twin, Sanyia, had been up for hours playing games at their father’s apartment with friends. Afterward, the sisters and the rest of the group headed to the Natural Plus deli on the corner of Fourth Avenue and St. Marks Place in Park Slope, a go-to spot for the twins where the owners knew them by name.

The fraternal twins left a game night at their father’s apartment to get a late night snack at a local deli.

The friends walked in around 2 a.m., the police said. While they waited for food, a group of young, drunk men including Mr. Kelly approached them, Chief Kenny said. Mr. Kelly began flirting with the twins, and pressed for their contact information, the police said.

Mr. Kelly had never met the twins and was in Park Slope for a party at a building next to the deli, Chief Kenny said.

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