NC man arrested in stabbing deaths of 3 children; 2 others injured

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder after stabbing three young brothers to death and wounding their sister and mother at a home in eastern North Carolina, police said on Wednesday.

The suspect, Eh Lar Doh Htoo, and the victims were neighbors in New Bern, and investigators there were working to determine a motive for the attack, said police Lt. Ronda Allen.

“We’ve never had something this horrific,” she said.

The brothers were ages 1, 5 and 12, Allen said. Their 14-year-old sister and mother were treated for injuries and released. The victims and suspect are Burmese, she said.

Officers took Htoo into custody after responding to a call late Tuesday about someone with a knife, Allen said. He has been charged with three counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, she said.

He is being held without bond at a county jail ahead of his first court appearance on Friday.