NY man sentenced to 18 years in prison for fatally stabbing housemate with kitchen knife

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Westchester man was sentenced to prison on Thursday after fatally stabbing his housemate with a kitchen knife, prosecutors said.

Oscar Manolo Morales, 42, was sentenced to 18 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree last month for stabbing his housemate, Rey David Esquivel Lemus, 36, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced.

The stabbing happened on June 24, 2023 at around 11 p.m., when Morales and Lemus started to argue, leading to a physical fight in their Mount Kisco home on Lexington Avenue. Another housemate stepped in and broke up the fight, prosecutors said.

A couple of minutes later Morales grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Lemus four times throughout his body, including his chest, according to court documents

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety arrested Morales after responding to the scene.

Lemus was transported to Northern Westchester Hospital and later was  pronounced dead.

Morales was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision.

“Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his brazen act of violence that took the life of his friend and housemate,” Rocah said. “We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Lemus’s family who grieve this senseless loss.”