An Abington man was fatally stabbed as he walked to work, police say

Jean Schultz Junio Laurent worked hard to move his children to America from their native Haiti, his family said, hoping to give them a safer, more stable life in Abington.

But after escaping the tumult of his home country, the father of three died early Tuesday after he was stabbed less than 200 feet from the restaurant where he worked in East Mount Airy, Philadelphia police said.

“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. We’re in shock,” Laurent’s niece, Alexandra Belly, said in an interview Thursday. “He had no enemies. His entire life was just working and coming home.”

Scott Hilton was charged Thursday morning with murder and related crimes in the death of Laurent, 51, on the 1500 block of Wadsworth Avenue, not far from June’s Kitchen, where Laurent worked.

The motive for the fatal stabbing was still being investigated, along with whether the men knew each other, police said. Laurent was on his way to work when he was attacked, police said.

Hilton, 48, of East Mount Airy, remained in custody, denied bail.

Police were notified of the stabbing at 7:19 a.m. Tuesday and arrived to find medics attempting to revive Laurent. He had been stabbed in the chest and was taken to Jefferson Einstein Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Laurent had lived in Abington for the last two years with his sister, according to Belly, his niece. He had worked hard to emigrate to the U.S. and settle in the township, she said, spending years getting the necessary paperwork and meeting other requirements.

In Haiti, he was an author, journalist, and literature professor, and had to essentially start his life over, his niece said. But he was happy to make that sacrifice, she said, for the safety of his children, the youngest of whom is 3.

Laurent had dreams of pursuing a teaching degree here, she said.

“He was a very sweet, very gentle man, who never wanted to inconvenience anyone,” she said. “We’re all just heartbroken and in shock.”