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An Asian American lady was stabbed to dying in her Chinatown residence early Sunday morning by a stranger who adopted her inside, in response to police and a number of experiences.
Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was found by cops in her bathtub, the place she was “bleeding from a number of wounds to the physique,” police sources informed the New York Put up. Lee’s alleged killer, Assamad Nash, was discovered hiding below her mattress, the outlet reported.
“No prices have been established as of but,” an NYPD spokesman informed The Day by day Beast, who stated the division is planning to formally launch the suspect’s identify afterward Monday. However the Put up and The New York Occasions, each citing unnamed police officers, recognized the alleged killer as Nash. Police officers stated they don't consider the 2 knew one another previous to the lethal assault.
Surveillance footage offered to the Put up by Lee’s landlord appeared to indicate the suspect following the New York-based multimedia producer into the vestibule of her constructing on Christie Avenue.
“He grabbed the entrance door simply earlier than it closed,” the constructing proprietor informed the outlet. “He adopted her all the way in which up, hanging again, staying one flooring behind her all the way in which as much as the sixth flooring. Then, he waited till her door was nearly closed and he went in.”
One among Lee’s neighbors informed the Occasions that he was jolted awake round 4:30 a.m. Sunday by screaming that “seemed like one thing out of a film.” A lady who lived throughout the corridor from Lee referred to as 911, and cops arrived on the scene minutes later.
Nash had allegedly tried to flee down the constructing’s hearth escape, then barricaded himself inside Lee’s residence when his plan was foiled. Officers from the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit broke down the entrance door, and located a blood-covered Nash hiding inside, in response to experiences. Lee was pronounced lifeless at 5:55 a.m. The grisly slaying has not but been categorised as a hate crime, in response to authorities.
Lee, who beforehand lived in New Jersey, was “a New York-based inventive producer dealing in national-scale advertising content material for choose names like Google, Twix, Equinox, TOMS, Cole Haan and ALDO,” says her web site. “Christina upholds the integrity of those various model directives whereas lending her distinctive aesthetic sensibility and administration model.”
In an announcement issued Sunday, New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain who retired from the pressure in 2006, stated, “I and New Yorkers throughout town mourn for the harmless lady murdered in her residence final evening in Chinatown and stand with our Asian brothers and sisters as we speak. The NYPD is investigating this horrific incident, and I thank them for apprehending the suspect. Whereas the suspect who dedicated this heinous act is now in custody, the circumstances that created him stay. The mission of this administration is obvious: We gained’t let this violence go unchecked.”
Over the previous two years, cops have seen a spike in assaults focusing on Asian Individuals, retired NYPD Det. Sgt. Joseph Giacalone, who now teaches on the John Jay Faculty of Felony Justice, informed The Day by day Beast. Hate crimes in opposition to Asian American New Yorkers rose by 361 % in 2021, in response to the NYPD. Throughout the nation, anti-Asian hate crimes jumped by 73 % in 2020, in contrast with a 13 % rise in hate crimes throughout all classes, in response to the newest FBI information accessible. An October 2021 ballot performed by NPR, the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis, and the Harvard T.H. Chan College of Public Well being discovered that one in 4 Asian households within the U.S. reported “fearing somebody would possibly threaten or bodily assault them due to their race/ethnicity.”
Nash, who was arrested and brought to Bellevue Hospital for analysis, is predicted to be charged Monday. He's reportedly homeless, in response to ABC 7. He has been arrested not less than thrice over the previous yr on misdemeanor prices that included assault, harassment, and unlawful use of MetroCards, courtroom data present. Nash was launched with out bail in all three incidents.
New York State Unified Courtroom System
Ishan R. Banerjee of the Authorized Help Society, Nash’s public defender within the three earlier circumstances, declined to remark when reached by The Day by day Beast. A spokesman for the Authorized Help Society, Redmond Haskins, informed The Day by day Beast, “We have now no touch upon the pending circumstances however could when Mr. Nash is arraigned and if we’re assigned to that case.”
At a press convention on Sunday, New York State Sen. John Liu (D) stated, “Now, perhaps it is a hate crime. Perhaps this isn't a hate crime. But it surely’s yet one more Asian lady... and town continues to seemingly discuss long-term options with out offering the aid that the group wants and calls for proper now.”