Man Convicted In Neighbor's Fatal Stabbing At Troy Apartments

TROY (WWJ) - A Troy man has been convicted of murder, months after he was charged with killing a woman who lived in his apartment complex.

Charles Stephens, 53, was found guilty in Oakland County Circuit Court of felony murder, and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"The Troy Police Department wishes to extend thanks to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for their relentless commitment to seeking justice in this case," police said in a statement Wednesday.

Murali-Babu, the mother of two young children, was found stabbed to death — at Somerset Park Apartment complex, on Golfview Drive, near Big Beaver Road and Coolidge Highway —after she failed to pick up her kids from a bus stop.

She was stabbed multiple times and medical examiners ruled the death a homicide.

Murali-Babu's husband was out of the country on business at the time and learned of his wife's death upon arrival at Detroit Metro Airport a day later.

Stephens, who lives in the same building as Murali-Babu, was immediately named a suspect in the killing.

A second man, who worked in the building, has been charged as an accomplice after allegedly helping Stephens to gain entry to Murali-Babu's home. His case is still pending.

Sentencing for Stephens is scheduled for Nov. 9.