A 31-year-old man is facing charges after Alp Efe, 28, was stabbed to death early Tuesday, following what a neighbour claims was a “stupid” argument about religion.

Alijan Khan, 31, has been charged with second-degree murder.

A smattering of beer cans was strewn around the front steps of 21 Boake St., near York University, as police homicide investigators continued to investigate at the scene on Tuesday.

Police responded to reports of an altercation just before 1 a.m. and found a man without vital signs near Assiniboine Rd. and Boake St.

Efe was rushed to hospital and died a couple of hours later. His death marks the city’s 50th homicide this year.

Police say the stabbing happened after an argument between the two men, who knew each other.

“I saw the argument itself and a little bit of shoving, and that kind of stuff. After that the stabbing happened. I didn’t see the stabbing,” said Fateh Sandhu, who lives across the street.

“After the stabbing, I came downstairs because it looked really strange. … I heard the roommate screaming that he’s not breathing, he’s not doing well, he’s not moving,” said Sandhu. Asked what it was about, Sandhu said the topic was “religion.”

It’s an argument he says he’s heard before in the area.

Neighbour Jason Bissainthe-Tobin said the conflict may have spilled over into politics, but heated up over the English versus Hebrew pronunciations of the name “Benjamin.”

“I just thought it was usual drunken camaraderie,” he said. “It didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Again, last night was bit more heated than usual, but I didn’t think it would escalate to something like this.”

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According to Efe’s Linkedin profile, he was an architectural technology student until this year at Sheridan College, who had lived in Turkey, worked in real estate and construction, and had played music for several years.

He said he planned on building, managing, buying, selling and designing properties.

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Efe described himself as having a competitive spirit that came from competing in martial arts, and that he knew what it took to be a winner: “hardwork, practise, innovation, responsibility, humility, patience, diligence, undauntedness, bravery, ambition, discipline and accepting loss.”

York University staff walked around the area, directing students to support services if needed. “The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority. We’re there doing outreach, making sure students are OK,” said York vice provost Janet Morrison.

Morrison said she didn’t know whether either man was a York student.

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide police at 416-808-3100.