The Murder Book 2008

June 30th -- 1 dead in car crash on Park Avenue...

Julie Tsang, a 17-year-old Asian female, was killed early Sunday when a car in which she was a passenger was hit by a truck at East 65th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan, according to stories in the NY Post and Daily News.

Robert Gomez, 22, the driver of the truck refused to take a Breathalizer test, and was arrested at the scene and charged with DWI and criminally negligent homicide. The Post cited a source as saying Gomez "reeked" of alcohol.

Tsang had just graduated a few days before from Millennium High School in lower Manhattan, and was returning from a graduation party when the car she was driving in was hit. She had been planning to attend Hunter College in the fall.

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All three city newspapers -- the News, NY Times, and Post -- carried stories about the shooting death of 15-year-old Nathan Allsbrook who was hit by an apparent stray bullet in Harlem early Sunday morning.

Nathan's mother Cherise Smith told The Times: “I just want my son back. He didn’t deserve this. He would have been in church now. Everybody loved him. I loved him so much. I just wish I could wake up and he’d be here.”

 

June 15th -- 2 dead, former Doe Fund supervisor...

Richard Street, a 58-year-old black male, was stabbed to death Friday afternoon inside his apartment in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, according to a story in the Daily News.

Street was a former supervisor for The Doe Fund which teaches job skills to the homeless, and was a kindly neighborhood fixture, according to his neighbors. Police sources told The News that Street may have been stabbed while he was negotiating a marijuana deal inside his apartment. He staggered out of his apartment begging for help after he'd been stabbed several times in the chest.

He was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital where he later died from his injuries. No arrests.

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Ravinbranauth Dandhu, a 35-year-old Asian male, was found shot in the head Sunday morning in front of 112-33 Dillon Street, in Queens. He was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. No arrests.

 

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The News also has an interesting story about nine cities with populations over 100,000 that had not a single murder last year. You can see the whole list by clicking on this link but two of the cities are Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. New York was ranked the 129th safeest out of the nation's 251 cities with populations of more than 100,000.

June 1st -- 3 dead...young woman found dismembered in Chelsea bathtub...

Margaux Powers, a 26-year-old white female (photo left with her father Michael), was found dismembered in her Chelsea apartment bathtub Saturday night, just hours before her boyfriend -- Jonathan Smith, 34 -- apparently jumped to his death from a building in lower Manhattan, according to a story in the Daily News.

Powers' sister and family members became concerned they could not reach Margaux for several days and eventually went to her apartment at 235 W. 22nd St. where they made the discovery and also, according to the News, found an unsigned apologetic suicide note. Powers' body was discovered by her horrified sister Dana when she pulled back the shower curtain. A building doorman told the News that Powers and her boyfriend fought all the time.

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Carlos Rios, a 47-year-old Latino male, was shot to death by an off-duty police police officer in the Bronx late Saturday night after Rios apparently accosted the officer's wife and 3-year-old daughter in an apartment elevator, according to an Associated Press story.

Reportedly, Rios showed the woman and girl a gun as he got into the elevator. She screamed and her husband, the off-duty cop, came to their aid. The attacker was shot but still managed to run from the building but was caught a short distance away. He died soon after.

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Liu Mei Liang, an 85-year-old Asian female, was reportedly killed in an attack last week by a former correction officer who body-slammed the grandmother to the ground while she was doing Tai Chi exercises in Chinatown, according to a story in the NY Post.

Gary Brown, 27, apparently was drunk when he said he accidentally bumped into Liang in the playground of PS 134 on East Broadway and knocked her down, according to the story. Witnesses came forward to say they saw Brown pick her up and slam the woman to the ground, cops said. Liang died two days later at Bellevue Hospital and Brown was charged with her murder, according to the Post story.

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The May Report on the number of homicides this past month will be posted later in the day.

 

 

May 28th -- 0 new deaths but Brooklyn payroll manager declared a murder victim...

Mohammed Chatha, the 68-year-old Asian male who was the payroll manager at a Brooklyn construction site, was declared a murder victim yesterday by the city's Medical Examiner who said Chatha "was beaten to death and had his head crushed," according to a brief in the Daily News.

It remains unclear what Chatha was doing at the site on Memorial Day when there was no work scheduled.

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Interesting article in today's Daily News headlined "Violent Crime Stalks the City" which notes that the murder rate this year is 10 percent higher than last year, which had the least amount of murders since1963. It links the rise to the rising number of illegal handguns on the city's streets.

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I've started a new feature called "Faces of the Departed 2008" as you can see on my home page in the upper right panel. If you have a photo you'd like me to include, please email it to me at paul.larosa@gmail.com.

Thanks.

May 17th -- 0 new murders, more news about Windsor Terrace dry cleaner...

Kyung-Sook Woo, the 63-year-old Asian female killed in her dry cleaning store in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, was murdered Thursday evening, not Friday morning, according to reports in the NY Times and Daily News.

Woo's body was not discovered until Friday morning by an employee and a customer, according to the Times' report. Customer Don Alman spotted a seamtress who worked at the dry cleaning store standing outside looking confused, and ventured into the dark store himself. When he spotted Woo's legs sticking out from the bathroom, he called 911. "I didn't see blood or anything," Alman told The Times.

Woo did not return home Thursday and her son was unable to reach her on her cell phone. The News reported that Woo's son Kenneth had rushed to the store Friday morning only to find it surrounded by police. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy conducted by the city's Medical Examiner.

Woo, the grandmother of three, took over the Eden Dry Clearners on 10th Avenue in the close-knit neighborhood of Windsor Terrace a few years ago when her husband fell ill and had hoped to retire in two years, according to what her son told The News. "Now, all the dreams - gone," he told the paper.

Woo was a beloved, friendly figure in the neighborhood, and residents and customers said she kept the store in immaculate condition. Whoever killed her is also suspected of stealing her 2008 white Honda Accord, New York license plate # EHS7392.

April 6th -- 2 dead & arrest in Chinese student's murder...

Minghui Yu, a 24-year-old Asian male, was killed Friday night when he was struck by a car after Yu ran into traffic on Broadway in upper Manhattan because, police said, he'd just been attacked by at least two young teens. The driver of the car stopped at the scene and was not charged.

The Daily News reported that a 13-year-old was arrested late Saturday night and charged with manslaughter for taking part in the attack that led to Yu's death. Police continue to search for the teen's 15-year-old accomplice.

The News reported that a source said the arrested boy told cops he boasted to his 15-year-old pal before attacking Yu: "Look what I do to this one." 

Yu, a graduate student at Columbia University, was walking back to the Morningside Heights campus aaround 9 p.m. Friday t 8:50 p.m. when he was punched in the face by one of the teens at Broadway near W.122nd St. He broke free, ran into traffic, and was killed.

His girlfriend Chao Sun told reporters: "He'd just me home after dinner and I said goodbye to him. He was so considerate, such a nice guy. I couldn't imagine him hurting anyone."

The attack on Yu is somewhat reminiscent of the 1987 attack on Michael Griffith in Howard Beach, Queens, when he and his black male friends were set upon by a group of white men. In escaping the attack, Griffith ran into traffic, was struck by a car and killed. So far, there is no evidence that race played a part in the attack on Yu but the investigation is at an early stage.

In yet another similar incident in the same area back in 2006, Broderick JB Hehman, a 20-year-old white male and a student at NYU, was chased into traffic on 125th Street until he too was hit by a car and killed. At the time, it was alleged he was being chased a group of black youths yelling racial epithets at him.

At least two of those youths pled guilty and were sentenced to 18 months in a juvenile facility.   

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Luis Arias, a 19-year-old Latino male, was stabbed to death Saturday night during a bar fight among underage drinkers Saturday at the El Caviar bar, 4210 Third Avenue in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, police said.

The Daily News carried a small article that said Arias was trying to play the role of a peacemaker during the fight when he was stabbed in his head and torso. He was taken to Lutheran Hospital where he later died.

Arias, a big teen whose nicknam was Gorilla due to his imposing size, had stepped between his group of friends and their antagonists, according to what one friend told The News.

Arias' mother told the newspaper: "My heart is broken. I can't explain how much this hurts. He was always happy. I loved the sound of his laugh." No arrests.

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Meanwhile, the parents of Jessica Tush, the 19-year-old white teenager, allegedly killed by her boyfriend Thomas Paolino, have lashed out against Paolino and his parents, according to an article in the Daily News. Paolino has a reported history of roughing up Tush and allegedly lured her into his car by asking her to go a memorial service. Paolino is not yet facing charges in NYC and has been extradited to New Jersey to face charges there in connection with burying Tush in a shallow grave in the Pine Barrens.

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March 26th -- 2 dead, rapper Cavlar & man in Carroll Gardens' basement apartment...

Leval Lyde, a 36-year-old black male better known as the rapper Cavlar, was shot once in the chest in front of 907 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, early yesterday as he stepped out of his Jaguar, according to a story in the NY Post. He was taken to Brooklyn Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Cavlar was known for his DVD "Step Up Your Game," which features some of rap's biggest names, according to the Post story. He was an ex-felon who served time for assault and weapons charges. His uncle Clarence Lamb called Caviar's death "fruitless."

No arrests.

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Sanjeer Seekoomar, a 34-year-old male, yesterday was found with his throat slashed in his basement apartment at 326 Carroll Street in Brooklyn's normally placid Carroll Gardens neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at the scene but the cause is being investigated by the medical examiner's office. NO arrests. The NY Daily News carried a story quoting police sources as saying that Seekoomar was known to have invited male prostitutes to spend some time with him in his apartment.

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My new book "Death of a Dream" -- co-written with CBS News Correspondent Erin Moriarty -- is on sale now!

Catherine Woods was a young woman (pictured here) who came to NYC as a teenager by herself with dreams of becoming a Broadway dancer. She had unmistakable talent but, as is so often the case with young women, she ran into the wrong man and only found tragedy. The book "Death of a Dream" tells her story and that of killer's (who had his own dream). It is being published today by Simon & Schuster's Pocket Star division. Here is advance praise for the book. Thanks for taking a look.

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March 13th -- 3 dead (two declared homicides from old cases)...

Alexander James, a 22-year-old Latino male was stabbed to death early yesterday morning on Father Capodanno Boulevard near Ocean Avenue in the South Beach section of Staten Island, according to a brief in the NY Post's NYPD Blotter. The man was seen staggering down the street and managed to get himself into an elevator and up to the 5th floor where he collapsed and died. Police sources told the Post that the killing seemed to be drug related. The Staten Island Advance reports Alexander had six $100 bills in his pocket when he died.

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Police have declared Reyna de los Santos, a Latina female missing since last June, to be a homicide victim after bones found in a suitcase in Forest Park, Queens, last week were identified as her remains, according to a brief in the Daily News. The suitcase was found on March 4th by children playing in the park, police said.

Police yesterday picked up Reyna's husband Edwin Fuentes at his workplace and began questioning him about his wife's disappearance. No charges were filed against him as of today. While only a brief in the News, the story has received extensive coverage in Newsday, the Queens Chronicle, and the Times Ledger.

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Meanwhile police in Queens did filed homicide charges against a Queens couple whose 2-month-old baby daughter Annie Li died last October 22d, according to a small item in the Daily News. Hang Bin Li, 23, and his wife Ying Li, 22, face a variety of charges including manslaughter and child endangerment. Police say their investigation led them to conclude that the couple had violently shaken their baby resulting in her death. Hang Bin Li initially told police that he had accidentally bumped his child's head on a bedside table. The couple waited hours before calling 911 and by the time the infant was taken to the hospital, it was too late. She was declared brain dead four days later.

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Winston Moseley, who killed Kitty Genovese 44 years ago this week in one of NYC's touchstone murders, had his parole bid rejected for the 13th time yesterday by the state's Parole Board, according to a story in the Daily News. The board said the release of the now 72-year-old Moseley would be "incompatiable" with the welface and safety of the commuity.

February 5th -- 2 dead (1 teen, 1 grandmother)...

Tim Kim, a 17-year-old Asian youth who was shot in the head during a Bronx shoe store confrontation Saturday, was taken off life support yesterday by his parents, The Daily News reported. Kim, an employee, had ejected a disuptive customer from the Athlete's Foot store on E. 188th Street and the Grand Concourse. The customer returned, supposedly to apologize, but then shot Kim in the head and chest. The News, in its page 2 story, reported that the "dimwit shooter" had called police after being ejected from the store to complain of being punched by Kim and gave cops his name and address. After the shooting, cops picked up the man and were questioning him last night. He had not yet been charged. The Post and Times did not carry news of Kim's death.

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Ernestine Allen, a 47-year-old black woman, yesterday was stabbed to death allegedly by her 22-year-old daughter, Krystal Allen, who apparently was upset that Ernestine was fighting Krystal for custody of her two-year-old daughter, according to reports in The News and Post. Allen worked as a secretary for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. The 3 a.m. attack in her Bronx apartment in the Forest Houses awoke Ernestine's teenaged son who called police. Krstal Allen allegedly fled with the toddler but was located by police and was being questioned at the 42d Precinct, the papers reported. Relatives said that Ernestine was determined not to let her granddaughter be put into foster care. Her sister told The News: "She did a good job. I was really proud of what she did. She took care of that baby."

The News carried the story on page 22, The Post put it in its NYPD Blotter. The Times did not carry the story.

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Police yesterday charged David Ramos, 57 of Bushwick, with murder for allegedly strangling Manuel Carasquillo, 78, in his apartment in the Williamsburg Houses on Sunday, the Post reported in a blotter item.