Story highlights A cousin of the slain family has been charged with murder

A woman and four children between 1 and 9 are stabbed to death in Brooklyn

Three of the five victims were found dead at the scene

A mother and four children have been stabbed to death in a Brooklyn apartment, and a cousin of the slain woman's husband has been charged with killing them, New York police said Sunday.

Mingdong Chen had been staying with the family for about a week before the Saturday night horror unfolded in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, Officer Sophia Tassy-Mason said. The 25-year-old been charged with one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, as well as criminal possession of a weapon, Tassy-Mason said.

Police identified the victims as Qiao Zhen Li, 37; Linda Zhuo, 9; Amy Zhuo, 7; Kevin Zhuo, 5; and William Zhuo, 1. All five of the dead had stab wounds to their upper bodies, police said.

Three of the children were dead at the scene, while the other victims were pronounced dead at nearby hospitals, police said. A kitchen knife or butcher's knife was retrieved from the scene, Tassy-Mason said.