Accused killer of Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter was on depression medications, law enforcement source says

The man accused in the fatal stabbing of Edena Hines, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter, was taking two anti-depression medications and possibly cocaine, a law enforcement source said Monday.

Hines, 33, was stabbed 16 times in upper Manhattan early Sunday by her live-in boyfriend, Lamar Davenport, the NYPD said.

Davenport, 30, was charged with second-degree murder. He was awaiting arraignment late Monday.

After the stabbing outside 450 W. 162nd St., police took Davenport to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation, investigators said.

He was screaming Bible verses over Hines' body when police arrived, officials said. A knife was in her chest. Hines was taken to a hospital, but could not be revived.

A witness to the alleged slaying said Davenport believed he was trying to exorcise Hines of demons, reports said.

Because he was undergoing a psychiatric examination, detectives have been unable, as of late Monday, to interview him, said a police spokesman. Criminal complaint details weren't available.

The alleged killing and a motive have confounded police. Davenport has no history of violent crime. He was arrested in Los Angeles in 2014 on a drug charge and in Manhattan in 2010 for petty theft, officials said.

Information about the disposition of the Los Angeles arrest wasn't available. The New York arrest is sealed, indicating it may have been dismissed.

Police said Davenport and Hines had no reports of domestic violence between them. Davenport was also not the subject of any restraining orders, said a law enforcement official, who didn't want to be identified.

In a statement, Freeman said: "The world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer. Her friends and family were fortunate enough to have known what she meant as a person."

Hines recently filmed an independent movie called "Landing Up" in Bushwick, Brooklyn, after moving to New York from Memphis. She wrote on her blog that returning to New York to film the movie was a dream come true. Hines had roles in "Moll Flanders" in 1996 and "5 Flights Up" this year, according to the movie website IMDb. "Landing Up" is scheduled to be released in 2016.

Hines studied at New York University's Graduate Acting Program and had served on the board of a literary arts foundation called SonEdna, its website says.

The grieving cast of "Landing Up" was stunned by her death. "We're just in shock. We're in total grief," said actress and screenwriter Stacey Maltin, 30.

With Gary Dymski and Rebecca Harshbarger

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.