JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 36-year-old Jacksonville woman has been arrested and charged with murder after another woman was fatally stabbed outside a convenience store on Kings Road last week, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers responding to a reported stabbing on July 23 found 41-year-old Yolanda Haynes with severe wounds outside the Leyu Food Store on Kings Road, the sheriff’s office said. Haynes was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.
Officers quickly identified Brittany McLean as the attacker and initially arrested her on charges of aggravated battery and tampering with evidence, the sheriff’s office said.
Homicide detectives reviewed McLean’s statement, witness accounts and physical evidence and developed probable cause to arrest her for murder. Detectives arrested McLean on July 24; she remains in the Duval County jail awaiting a court appearance.
Family members said Haynes was well known and well liked in the neighborhood.
“Yolanda was more than what she lost her life for,” her sister, Sheila Dixon Williams, told News4JAX. “She was loving, caring, she loved her family, especially her nieces and nephews. She loved people who didn’t even love her.”
Her niece, Miracle Vickers, said she had seen Haynes just hours before the stabbing.
“Then within the blink of an eye, got a phone call, she was gone,” Vickers said.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said, “Our hearts are with Yolanda Haynes’ loved ones as they grieve her tragic loss, and we will continue to seek justice for her.” Detectives continue to investigate the case.