(AP) — A New York City man faces charges that he slaughtered his girlfriend and her two young children in a frenzy at their Brooklyn home.

Jermaine Ruiz was charged Saturday with three counts of murder.

The 24-year-old had been in custody since Friday.

Investigators say they believe the killings happened Wednesday night, when neighbors overheard the couple fighting.

Police say that Ruiz spent a day in the apartment with the three corpses and then phoned his father and told him what he'd done.

When officers arrived at the house, they found a bloody scene.

The women and her children were dead of stab wounds. The children were aged 2 and 5. All three had been partly wrapped in plastic bags.

Authorities have not released the victims' names.

President and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center Thomas Stokes explains the problems caused by the aging infrastructure within the hospital. Newsday Associate Editor Joye Brown reports.  Credit: Newsday/Kendall Rodriguez

Inside look at NUMC's aging infrastructure President and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center Thomas Stokes explains the problems caused by the aging infrastructure within the hospital. Newsday Associate Editor Joye Brown reports.

President and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center Thomas Stokes explains the problems caused by the aging infrastructure within the hospital. Newsday Associate Editor Joye Brown reports.  Credit: Newsday/Kendall Rodriguez

Inside look at NUMC's aging infrastructure President and CEO of Nassau University Medical Center Thomas Stokes explains the problems caused by the aging infrastructure within the hospital. Newsday Associate Editor Joye Brown reports.

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