ATLANTIC CITY — Authorities have identified the woman killed in a brutal double stabbing in the city Saturday night, which also left a man wounded.
The woman killed was identified as 54-year-old Bessy Blanco, of Atlantic City. A 52-year-old man from Quakertown, Pa. was wounded in the attack, according to a statement from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
A 51-year-old Ventnor man, Jose B. Lopez, was arrested and charged in the stabbing on Sunday. He is charged with first-degree murder and related weapons charges.
Atlantic City: Police presence on N. Harrisburg Ave. Avoid area pic.twitter.com/PwNUd2wnQg
— AtlanticCity911 (@AtlanticCity911) February 19, 2017
Lopez was spotted by police Sunday morning driving the male victim’s car and was arrested without incident, the statement said.
He is being held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
At around 8 p.m. Saturday, authorities responded to a North Harrisburg Avenue home for a 911 call where they found Blanco dead and a man wounded. Blanco was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other victim was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Division, where he remained Sunday.
It remains unclear whether the two victims knew each other or Lopez.
Blanco — an immigrant from Honduras — was a longtime casino worker who overcame numerous obstacles and tragedy in her life, including raising two of her sister’s children while in her 30s after a deadly car crash, according to a report by the Atlantic City Press.
In 2001, she lost her husband and was also no longer able to buy a home. However, support from the community eventually allowed her to purchase the home on North Harrisburg Avenue, the report said.
The incident remains under investigation by the county prosecutor’s office and city police department.
Anyone with information can contact the prosecutor’s office at 609-909-7666 or the city police at 609-347-5766.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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