Woman charged with murder in stabbing death of mother in West Philadelphia
Police arrested 32-year-old Nazirah Devore and accused her of murdering her mother, Charmaine, on Sunday night.
A 32-year-old woman has been charged with murder and related crimes for stabbing her mother to death in West Philadelphia over the weekend, according to police.
The suspect, Nazirah Devore, of Philadelphia, was arraigned Tuesday and is being held at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center. In addition to murder, prosecutors have charged Devore with endangering the welfare of a child and related crimes.
Prosecutors have accused Devore of killing her mother, 67-year-old Charmaine Devore, at her home on the 4600 block of North Westminster Avenue around 11 p.m. Sunday.
The stabbing came after an argument broke out between the two, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.
The women did not live together, the source said, though Devore often stayed with her mother, and neighbors reported that the two had a history of fighting.
Investigators believe things escalated Sunday when Devore burned her mother with a hot iron during one of those disputes, the source said.
The two women then struggled over the iron, and the fight spilled outside, where Charmaine Devore banged on a neighbors door seeking help, the source said.
That effort was not successful. While her mother sought assistance, Nazirah Devore stabbed Charmaine Devore multiple times with a knife, the source said.
The neighbor eventually came to the door and found Charmaine Devore injured on her porch. The woman repeated the words: “My daughter, my daughter,” the source said.
The neighbor called 911, and first responders arrived to find Devore bleeding on the sidewalk. They rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounce dead.
Investigators later learned that Nazirah Devore’s 12-year-old daughter was at the home during the incident, the source said.
Devore is being held on a $1 million bail and is being represented by a court-appointed attorney.
She is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 16.
