The mother of a Bronx man fatally stabbed believes his girlfriend was trouble from the start, sharing her concerns about their relationship.
Bronx: A mother is heartbroken after her son, Michael Bookhart, was fatally stabbed by his girlfriend, Jamaya Nelson, during a fight. Mabel Gonzalez, 50, always felt something was off about Nelson.
She recalls, “I knew there was something wrong with that girl from the day I met her.” This gut feeling turned out to be tragically accurate when her son was killed in their apartment.
According to police, the couple had a loud argument that night, which neighbors could hear. Sadly, Bookhart didn’t survive the attack. He was rushed to Lincoln Hospital but couldn’t be saved.
Nelson was arrested at the scene and charged with murder and other serious offenses. She was denied bail during her arraignment.
Gonzalez said she sensed something was wrong when she woke up with chest pains early Monday morning. It was a feeling she couldn’t shake, a mother’s intuition that something was off.
When police knocked on her door with the devastating news, her world shattered. “I don’t even know how to console my own self,” she said, expressing her grief and anger.
Gonzalez had concerns about Nelson from the start. She discovered her son was in a relationship with Nelson after hearing a baby crying in their apartment. She was shocked to learn that Nelson had been living there without her knowledge.
Gonzalez felt the couple’s relationship was built on lies. Nelson had claimed the baby was her sister’s child, but Gonzalez later found out it was actually Nelson’s daughter. This deception only added to her worries.
Things escalated when Gonzalez noticed Nelson’s belongings taking over her son’s room. The tension led to arguments, and Bookhart even expressed feelings of wanting to harm himself.
In an effort to help, Gonzalez called for an ambulance to get her son evaluated. After a brief hospital stay, he chose to stay with Nelson instead of returning home.
Gonzalez described her son as a loving and caring person who would never harm anyone, especially not a woman. “He was a joker. He didn’t have any malice in him,” she said, remembering him fondly.
