UPDATE: NCPD arrests Massapequa man in connection with murder of Merokean Evan Grabelsky

Police say he stabbed victim more than a hundred times

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According to Nassau County police, 21-year-old Ryan Lindquist, of Massapequa, was to be arraigned Saturday on charges that he stabbed the man he was dating — 32-year-old Merokean Evan Grabelsky — more than a hundred times.

Grabelsky was found dead by his parents in his home on June 1. He suffered stab wounds on his hands, arms and other parts of his body, said Detective Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad, at a news conference Saturday morning. 

The incident is being investigated as a domestic dispute, Fitzpatrick said. Grabelsky and Lindquist, who met through a social media dating app, had an intimate realtionship, officials said. 

Grabelsky lived with his parents — who were out at the time of the attack, Fitzpatrick said — in a two-story home on Elliot near Frankel Boulevard.

Police are still investigating if the knife allegedly used by Lindquist was brought to the house or if it was already there.

The altercation began in Grabelsky's bedroom on the first floor, Fitzpatrick said. The struggle continued throughout the house, into a common den area, and ended on a landing between the first and second floor. It appeared that Grabelsky was trying to escape, Fitzpatrick said.

Lindquist also caused injuries to his own hands, he said. "We noticed he injured himself — both of his hands were cut up," he said, "which is indicative of someone who stabbed somebody over 100 times."

Evidence of their realtionship was gathered through telephone conversations and text messages. Grabelsky's parents did not know Lindquist, Fitzpatrick said. 

Lindquist lives on Rhode Island Avenue in Massaqequa. He was employed by a costume store in Westbury. 

On social media, Grabelsky was remembered as selfless. “Whenever somebody needed encouragement, a laugh, or share a love for smart sweets Evan was there as positive as can be,” Wicked Wellness, a Facebook page dedicated to encouraging people on weight loss journeys, said in a post.
Many who posted memories of Grabelsky belonged to the Weight Watchers community. In 2012, Grabelsky lost more than 100 pounds after attending Weight Watchers meetings in Wantagh. He told Newsday that his problem was food addiction, which he worked through at the meetings.
Grabelsky worked in education counseling, according to his LinkedIn. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from University of Massachussters, Amherst in 2009, and a master’s in school counseling and guidance services from Queens College in 2012.
From January to May 2011, he worked as a school-counseling intern at Mepham High School. He worked at Bellmore-based Camp Iconic, a sister camp of Wee Friends in Wantagh. At Camp Iconic, he was an associate director and was in charge of recruiting and hiring staff members, coordinating training sessions and served as a liaison between the staff and parents.
He was also a special education paraprofessional at Great Neck North High School since September 2015.

Scott Brinton contributed to this story.