Mejia-Ramos had been out drinking at a friend's house on Sunday, authorities said. He came home, rifled through his wife's phone and Facebook account, and snapped when he saw a photo of her with another man, prosecutors said.

He pulled a knife from a butcher block as his sleeping wife awoke, chased her from her bed and stabbed her to death, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. He then hugged and kissed his daughters before stabbing them, too, Brown said. Five bloody knives were recovered, he said.

Prosecutors said Mejia-Ramos tried to kill himself after the brutal attack but didn't go through with it. On Monday, authorities tracked him to Texas, about 1,700 miles from New York, when he turned on his cellphone. He was captured at a vehicle roadblock on Interstate 10 in Schulenburg, between Houston and San Antonio and about three hours from Mexico, authorities said.

Brown said he met with friends and family of the victims.

"Everyone is, of course, devastated by that which occurred," he said. "I assured them that this case will be vigorously prosecuted and there will be no plea bargaining."

Mejia-Ramos was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

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