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Sunnyside man murders wife, jumps to his death

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THE COURIER/Photo by Alexa Altman

A quiet morning turned deadly when a Sunnyside man fatally stabbed his wife in their home before jumping to his death from a nearby elevated subway platform.

The Thursday, August 30 incident began around 8:05 a.m. when Amis Cales, 41, stabbed his wife numerous times in the throat inside their third floor apartment on 39th Place. The victim, Jennifer Cales, 37, suffered several fatal wounds to her neck. She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Amis fled the residence around 9:30 a.m., ran to a nearby subway station at 40th Avenue and Queens Boulevard and leapt from the elevated platform. He was also taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead roughly an hour after jumping.

According to police, the couple’s 19-year-old daughter was present during the attack and may have witnessed the crime. Officials were unsure if the daughter was the person who called the police to report the attack.

Helen Hohental, who lives in the apartment directly above the crime scene and was home during the incident, said she heard a continuous scream that lasted for several minutes followed by loud crying. She then allegedly heard a hard banging sound on the ground that sounded like someone running out of the building. Hohental, who has lived there for over 20 years, said she barely knew the couple downstairs and never heard them fight. She estimated the couple had lived in the building for just a few years.

“This is such a surprise,” said Hohental. “They were so quiet. For many years I thought that no one lived there.”

Hohental recalled seeing the couple on the elevator sporadically. She said that the few times she saw the alleged killer, he had a “dark personality cloud over his head,” was incredibly quiet and never made eye contact.