Husband Of NYC School Teacher Arrested For Allegedly Stabbing Her To Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The family of a slain Staten Island teacher came a step closer to justice Tuesday night after the woman's husband was arrested in her July murder.
As CBS 2's Derricke Dennis reported, Simeonette "Cissy" Mapes-Crupi, 25, was found brutally stabbed to death in her Staten Island apartment back in July.
Jonathan Crupi was arrested at his mother's home in Brooklyn early Tuesday. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports
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Jonathan Crupi originally told police he found his wife face down in a pool of her blood in their New Springville apartment in the middle of the afternoon. Mapes-Crupi had been stabbed repeatedly.
"Fifteen stab wounds -- most of them to the back but a couple to the neck and punctures to the lung and to the heart," Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa.
Police initially looked into a home invasion theory, but sources told CBS 2 there was no evidence to support it, other than a home in disarray.
WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reports
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Police also said Crupi's story that he found his wife dead in their apartment didn't add up.
"Detectives found inconsistencies in the timeline and what we could document as to where he was and when," Browne said.
Mapes-Crupi worked at several schools, most recently in East New York, Brooklyn.
CBS 2's Dennis talked with Mapes-Crupi's parents on Tuesday. Her mother was filled with tears and anger directed at Jonathan Crupi.
"It was 10 years of deceitfulness, 10 years of betrayal, and if he did kill my baby, I want to know why?" Theresa Mapes said.
The arrest was a major breakthrough for grieving family members, who tried to reconcile the revelations with the person they thought they knew.
"I feel confident that they have the right man, and that in and of itself is very, very sad," said Mapes-Crupi's father, John Mapes. "Theresa and I loved him like a son."
"We were totally shocked. We were not ready for this at all," Theresa Mapes said. "But you're never ready. Never ready."
Despite Crupi's claim that his wife was killed by a home invader, her parents were suspicious because there were no signs of forced entry.
"There was no communication, and we kind of figured, uh oh, something's going on here," John Mapes said.
In a statement, Crupi's attorney said: "I am surprised at the arrest, have been cooperating with the police all along. We deny the allegations and look forward to our day in court."
So does the Mapes family. Mapes-Crupi's parents hope her murder will be a wake-up call for women.
"The only thing I can say to all the mothers out there, tell your daughters to find a best friend, someone to confide in," Theresa Mapes said.
Mapes-Crupi's parents said that will be justice for Cissy.
Jonathan Crupi was scheduled for an arraignment on Wednesday.
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