A murder suspect accused of beating a New York City mother to death and leaving her body with her 7-year-old daughter allegedly walked out of an NYPD station after trying to surrender, according to his attorney and the New York Post.

Tiliek Shamel Thompson, 41, went to the 33rd Precinct stationhouse in Washington Heights around 5 a.m. on September 11, accompanied by his two cousins, as police investigated the killing of Lovay Williams, 27. However, he was not successfully taken into custody until September 12, when he was charged with murder, assault, strangulation and acting in manner injurious to a child.

Williams was found dead inside her apartment on 156th Street on September 6, suffering trauma to her face and neck, according to the Post. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 7-year-old daughter was also inside the apartment but was found unharmed. Williams and Thompson were dating, relatives told the Post.

Days later, Thompson and his cousins went to the station because they understood police were looking for him, his attorney, Neville Onielle Dexter Mitchell, told the Post.

“His two cousins said, ‘You’re looking for him,’” Mitchell said, according to the Post.

The officer working the desk allegedly responded, “I just came back from vacation. Nobody’s here,” Mitchell said.

However, an NYPD spokeswoman disputed that account to the Post after reviewing audio and video from the encounter. She said the family did not tell the officer that police were looking for Thompson and that the officer misunderstood the group’s reason for coming to the station.

The officer reportedly believed the three were members of Williams’ family and relayed that information to a sergeant. The officer’s reference to being on vacation was meant to explain that he had been away when Williams was killed, according to the NYPD spokeswoman.

The officer then gave one of Thompson’s cousins a phone number for homicide detectives and allowed the group to leave.

Thompson, who police sources reportedly identified as a person of interest in Williams’ killing, later returned to police and successfully surrendered. He was charged with murder.

The NYPD has acknowledged that the encounter was mishandled, according to the Post.

The Independent has contacted the NYPD for comment.

The alleged handling of Thompson’s attempted surrender has drawn criticism from current and former NYPD officers, who said officers should have detained him or contacted homicide detectives even if investigators were not immediately available.

“If he went there and said he was there to turn himself in, they should have investigated,” a senior police officer told the Post on the condition of anonymity.

“I’d say you should hold the guy and investigate further,” the officer added. “Even if detectives aren’t there, you can call them. I’m sure they’d love to take a homicide collar.”

Former NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar similarly said officers should have contacted detectives working the overnight shift, known as nightwatch.

“You got a homicide suspect turning himself in, so you detain him until the squad gets there,” he said. “I’m not surprised if they turned him away. We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

The incident comes as the NYPD works to increase its ranks after years of recruitment challenges. The department hired 4,056 new officers in 2025, the largest number hired in a single year, according to the Post. The NYPD also lowered some hiring requirements, including reducing the number of college credits required from 60 to 24.