BROOKLINE, MASS. (WHDH) - A 21-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a person known to him at a park in Brookline earlier this week has been ordered held without bail.
Singha Ouen, of Brookline, was arraigned Thursday in Brookline District Court on a murder charge in connection with the death of 20-year-old Nicolas “Cole” Kern, of Brookline. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Officers responding to a reported assault at Amory Park around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday found Kern suffering from nearly a dozen stab wounds, according to Brookline police.
He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he later died after receiving extensive emergency surgery, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said.
Doctors observed 10 stab wounds on Kern’s body, which included wounds to his heart, neck, torso, and bowel, a police report indicated. The wounds were said to be consistent in size, indicating a knife was used in the attack.
Investigators say they used technology and help from the community to track down Ouen and the knife.
Ouen was arrested at a home on Wallace Circle in Malden after investigators reportedly found blood in the hallway of his Brookline apartment and blood-stained clothes and towels that were discarded in a hamper.
A text that Ouen sent to his sister after the encounter read, “It’s all good, my friend hid the knife in Allston,” according to the report. In another text message, Ouen claimed Kern was “intoxicated and trying to rob him.”
A search of the park revealed a broken vodka bottle in the area where first responders found Kern, police said
Police wrote in the report that the victim’s friend stated Kern had met up with Ouen to purchase prescription pills but that a struggle ensued and Kern dropped to the ground.
Ouen’s attorney told the court that his client was acting in self-defense.
In a statement, Kern’s family said, “There are no words for what happened to our Cole. Cole was a beloved son, brother, friend, and student. He was truly the light in our life. His thoughtfulness, intellect, and quick wit filled everyone around him with joy. For 20 years, Cole kept us laughing. Now, we are brought together to remember him during the darkest days of our lives.”
He is due back in court at a later date.
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