Thirty-six people were murdered in New York City in the first month of the New Year.
(According to statistics put out by the NYPD, the murder rate is running significantly higher this year than last. The NYPD has only released statistics for the first 28 days of this year but in those 28 days, the NYPD counts 30 murders versus only 21 in the same period last year, an increase of more than 40 percent.)
I calculated my own 31-day figure after closely reading the three city daily newspapers every day and cataloguing each reported murder. I decided to break down the statistics by various categories but my overall finding – based on the placement of news stories and follow-ups – is that none of murders captured the city’s attention as some infamous murders have in the past.
The biggest stories involving death – not necessarily murder -- this month were that of actor Heath Ledger and the “dead man rolling” caper. Ledger’s death made news because he was famous while the tale of two Hell’s Kitchen friends rolling a dead third friend to a check-cashing outlet to make a payday made news because it was, on many levels, so absurd.
The only murder to make Page One was the hit & run death of Florence Cioffi, a 59-year-old white woman, who was killed by a Mercedes SUV allegedly driven by Wall Street Executive George Anderson. Often the murders were reported in small briefs far back in the news ‘hole.’
That brings us to some statistics. Ms. Cioffi was one of only four women murdered in January. Two others – Galbane Linkouke and Maribel Hernandez – allegedly were killed by their boyfriends while the fourth, Helen Abbot, a 69-year-old black woman, was sexually assaulted and strangled in her East Harlem apartment. No arrest has been made in Ms. Abbot’s murder.
Obviously, that means that 32 of the murder victims were men.
Breaking down the figures first by race: 18 of the victims were of unknown ethnicity or race (I only included the race if I was absolutely certain.); 12 victims were black; 5 were Hispanic and 1 was white.
Where the murders occurred: 11 were killed in the Bronx; 9 in Queens; 9 in Manhattan; 6 in Brooklyn, and 1 in Staten Island.
Age: 15 of the departed were in their 20s;10 were in their 30s; 3 were teenagers; 2 were in their 40s; 2 were in their 50s; 1 was in her 60s; 1 male was 80; 2 were of unknown age.
Method of death: 18 were shot. (2 men were killed by police in apparently justified homicides but are included here); 10 were stabbed; 4 people were beaten; 2 were vehicular homicides;1 was by an unknown method; 1 – a woman – was shot and stabbed.
One note: these are not official numbers but the numbers put out by the police is very close. Through January 27th, the NYPD reported 30 murders but, according to my figures, there were 5 additional murders from January 28th through the end of the month which means we’re, pardon the expression, nearly dead even.
I welcome your comments.
The notorious Larry Davis, a 41-year-old black male, is dead, stabbed to death by another inmate in the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Ulster County, the NY Times and others reported today. Davis became a folk hero to some in 1986 after he shot his way out of an apartment surrounded by 20 NYC police officers. Davis wounded six of the officers but escaped and was at large for 17 days before being captured.
