Teen Fatally Stabbed in His Sleep by Stranger Who Followed Residents into Miami High-Rise — Then Fell to His Death

A teenager was fatally stabbed in his sleep inside a luxury Miami high-rise on Sunday — and police say the attacker was a stranger who slipped into the building undetected.

According to a Miami Police news release, 17-year-old Dominic Ferrell, a student at St. Peter and Paul Catholic School, was found with multiple stab wounds inside a unit on the 34th floor of the Icon Brickell building, overlooking Biscayne Bay.

Officers say the suspect, 26-year-old Kyrill R. Kehl, entered the lobby by closely following a group of residents — bypassing key fob access — and got into Ferrell’s apartment through an unlocked door.

Ferrell was asleep when the attack occurred, authorities said. A roommate discovered him and called 911.

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Police spokesperson Michael Vega told NBC Miami, “It’s disheartening to see this 17-year-old… killed by a perfect stranger.”

Surveillance footage reportedly shows Kehl fleeing the scene and entering a nearby construction site across Brickell Avenue.

Police say Kehl’s body was later found at that site, and that he had died from a fall. Investigators have not yet determined whether the fall was accidental or intentional.

Officials said there was no known connection between the victim and the assailant. Kehl had reportedly arrived in Miami from Arizona just days before the incident and had a documented history of mental illness, per reporting from CBS News Miami and WPLG.