N.Y.C. Mother Allegedly Helped Her Son and Ex-Boyfriend Kill Her Current Boyfriend in 'Terrible Act'

A New York City mother is accused of helping her son and his father kill her boyfriend, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Daniel Spencer, 47, and his son Khaeir Spencer, 20, allegedly shot and killed David Brown, 43, in the Harlem apartment he shared with Tetikwa Horace, 42, in December 2024. Spencer is Horace’s ex-boyfriend and Spencer’s mother, and was dating Brown at the time, per authorities.

On Monday, April 7, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced Horace was charged with two counts of hindering prosecution in the first degree and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

“As alleged, this father-son duo murdered David Brown in his own home,” Bragg said in a statement. “Disturbingly, Mr. Brown’s girlfriend – the mother of one of the accused – allegedly helped by tampering with evidence and hindering the prosecution of this case. We will seek full accountability for this terrible act of gun violence.”

Citing court documents and statements made on the record in court, the district attorney said Horace walked into the apartment she shared with Brown at NYCHA’s Polo Grounds on Dec. 14, with her son Khaeir and his father Daniel.

Horace allegedly let her son and her ex enter the residence with masks and head coverings to conceal their identity as she left and took the surveillance camera off her front door on the way out.

Approximately two minutes later, Khaeir and Daniel ran out of the apartment, allegedly leaving Brown with three gunshot wounds to the torso and leg. 

Officers with the New York Police Department arrived soon after and transported the victim to Harlem Hospital where he died as a result of his wounds, the press release said. 

Daniel was arrested on Jan. 16. However, Horace allegedly helped Khaeir flee the city and he was arrested in Sullivan County on March 4. Horace was also arrested on March 17.

Khaeir and Daniel were both charged with murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and assault in the second degree. Horace was charged with two counts of hindering prosecution in the first degree and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

“We never had something like that happen on our floor, so finding that out, it actually scared us and shocked us because we didn’t know who it was,” one of Horace and Brown’s neighbors told New York Daily News. 

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The person recalled seeing investigators canvassing the scene in the hallway with areas sectioned off. 

According to the Daily News, Khaeir and Daniel are being held without bail on Rikers Island while Horace has since been released.