Witnesses in New York who live close to the scene where Morgan Freeman’s step-grandaughter was stabbed to death have described hearing a man shouting “get out you devils” as the attack took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Edena Hines was an actress who had studied at the Graduate Acting Program in New York and went onto teach "under exposed youth" in Memphis, Tennessee. She had returned to New York to film Landing Up, an independent film.

Police officers responded to a 911 call at about 3am and arrested a 30-year-old man at the scene who is believed to be Hines’ boyfriend. He is undergoing a psychological evaluation at a hospital, according to the Associated Press.

Witnesses described hearing a man shouting religious statements in the early hours of the morning.

Brydon Tarafa told The Daily Mail he heard a man yelling, “Jesus Christ is born”, followed by a woman screaming while he was inside his apartment.

“I go to my window and I see some people standing in the street watching something," he said. "And right then two police cars come in and I notice there's someone over here right in front of my doorway, and the guy gets off of the girl, and the police go and put him in handcuffs."

George Hudacko, another witness, told The New York Daily News he heard someone screaming: “Get out, devils! I cast you out, devils! In the name of Jesus Christ, I cast you out!”

Freeman paid tribute to his granddaughter in an emotional Facebook post on Thursday, writing: “The world will never know her artistry in talent, and how much she had to offer.