UWS murder-suicide family identified as building super, wife and sons

August 2024 · 5 minute read

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The Upper West Side family found dead in a suspected murder-suicide at their apartment have been identified as the building’s super, his wife, and their two young sons, sources said Tuesday — noting that one of the kids’ bodies was so bloody, cops initially misidentified his gender.

Edison Lopez, 41, is believed to have stabbed his wife, 40-year-old Alexandra Witek, and their two young sons – 3-year-old Lucian and 1-year-old Calvin – before taking his own life Monday, police sources told The Post.

The boys’ bodies in particular were in such terrible condition when they were found that investigators initially misidentified them as a boy and a girl, sources said.

The couple was about to move as Lopez had gotten a new job — and may have been under pressure to vacate their apartment ahead of the shocking incident, those who knew them said.

“I saw him on Friday… he said he was leaving for another job and they were giving him like two weeks to get out,” a longtime family friend, who declined to give his name, told The Post Tuesday of his last interaction with Lopez.

“He was upset or something… like, worried. I have never seen him like that,” the friend, who has been a super on the same block for 35 years, continued.

A doorman outside the family’s building also remembered seeing Lopez looking upset when he took the older boy to camp on Friday.

Lopez, Witek, and their sons were found in their home on West 86th Street near Riverside Drive around 3 p.m. on Monday. Facebook / Ola Witek
Edison Lopez, 41, is believed to have stabbed his wife, Alexandra Witek, and their two young sons, 3-year-old Lucian and 1-year-old Calvin, before taking his own life, according to police. COPY ART
The medical examiner’s office removed one of the four bodies found at the Upper West Side apartment on Monday. William Miller

That worker and another doorman at the building, both of whom declined to give their names for fear of losing their jobs,  also said there had been talk about Lopez needing to relocate after he’d apparently gotten another job in Westchester.

Neighbors said Lopez and Witek had grown up on the block together, meeting very young and going to high school together.

Her dad used to be a doorman across the street, and his father was the super of the couple’s building until Lopez took over for him.

Both were first-generation Americans, with Lopez’s family hailing from Venezuela and Witek’s roots being in Poland. 

“They grew up here,” the super and family friend said, adding that he was “shaking inside.” 

Witek’s body (left) was found in the hallway with a deep cut to her neck. Facebook / Ola Witek

“This is crazy,” the distraught man said. “I know him since he was a little boy and she was a little girl. I have seen them together when they were young.”

Becoming emotional, the super said he would often see the family on the block, noting that the boys’ grandmother would often babysit the couple’s toddler while Witek took care of their infant.

“I’ve seen the family together all the time. They were nice,” he lamented.

“I didn’t see this coming,” he added. I’ve never seen [Lopez] angry, never.  I’ve never seen them fighting.”

“He used to be a substitute in my building when he was a teenager,” the man added of Lopez, “then his dad left and he stayed and he became the super.”

Before the killings, the family had no emergency call history indicating any domestic strife, the sources said.

Police gathered outside the family’s home after the bodies were found. William Miller

Lopez, Witek, and their sons were found in their home on West 86th Street near Riverside Drive around 3 p.m. when Lopez’s father called Witek’s younger brother after being unable to reach the family since Sunday, the sources continued.

The brother, who is the superintendent of a nearby building, alerted authorities after he and his dad drilled out the lock of the apartment and saw blood inside.

First responders initially discovered the two children in the living room with several stab wounds and two knives nearby, sources said.

Witek’s body was found in the hallway with a deep cut to her neck, while Lopez was found lying on a bed in a bedroom, sources said.

Edison Lopez was the superintendent of the West 86th Street apartment building where his family lived. James Messerschmidt for NY Post

The father of two also had a stab wound to his neck, and there was a knife next to him.

All four individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.

The apartment door was locked from the inside, police said.

A distraught onlooker reacts to news of the family’s death on Monday afternoon. James Messerschmidt for NY Post

Moments before the bodies were discovered, the two doormen and the super on the block all recalled seeing Lopez’s father walk quickly out of the building to get a hammer nearby before returning.

“He went in the other building to get a hammer. He came back out real fast and he went back over there [to the apartment]. That’s when he probably saw it,” the super said of the horrifying moment Lopez’s father stumbled upon the blood in his son’s home.

Another family friend, Alfonso Barrera, told The Post the family’s demise left him “feeling like death.”

“I feel like he is part of my family,” the 84-year-old said from the doorstep of the apartment building, where a couple bouquets of flowers had already been laid Tuesday.

Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Amanda Woods

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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