Woman Killed in NYC Apartment; Man Faces Murder Charges

A vigil was held Monday for Christina Yuna Lee, 35, outside her Lower East Side apartment building where she was stabbed to death a day earlier.

At around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, the NYPD responded to a 911 call on Chrystie Street. When they arrived at the scene, they found a man barricaded inside a 6th-floor walkup apartment.

Emergency Service Unit personnel responded and were able to get into the apartment where they found Lee dead in the bathtub with trauma to her body.

Police say that Assamad Nash, 25, followed Lee into her building and then up to her apartment. When she opened the door he forced his way in and repeatedly stabbed her.

Assamad Nash

Neighbors said they called 911 when they heard screams from Lee’s apartment.

Prosecutors say Nash was found hiding under the bed with a yellow-handled knife hidden behind the dresser.  He was taken into custody and was evaluated at Bellevue Hospital.  He had a stab wound to his torso and cuts on his hands and shoulders, according to prosecutors.

On Monday, Nash was arraigned on murder and burglary charges. In court, a prosecutor said Nash stabbed Lee more than 40 times.  She was found naked from the waist up.

Prosecutors say that Nash was out on supervised release on 3 open cases, including one where he allegedly punched a stranger on the subway. They say he has an extensive record in New Jersey.

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