Vigil to remember woman followed into her NYC apartment and murdered

By WABC Staff

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    MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — The victim of a terrifying murder was remembered at a vigil Monday morning in New York City’s Chinatown.

The vigil was billed as a rally against violent crimes against Asian American New Yorkers, although this case is not being handled by the NYPD as a bias crime.

It comes after police say a man followed a woman up to her apartment and stabbed her to death inside

Surveillance video leading up to the attack is chilling.

It shows the 35-year-old victim, Christina Yuna Lee, walking into her building, the suspect catching the door right before it closed and walking in right behind her.

She was followed up six floors of stairs and then into her apartment.

There was an altercation, and Yuna Lee was stabbed.

Neighbors called 911 when they heard screams.

And as police arrived, the suspect was attempting to get away down the fire escape.

He went back into the apartment and was barricaded for 90 minutes before police went in, but by the time first responders reached Yuna Lee, she had died.

People who live in the building are stunned.

“When I read that he tried to flee via the fire escape my heart dropped, because in order to get down here you have to pass my window,” one resident told Eyewitness News.

“This is the most horrific scenario you can ever imagine,” said the building’s landlord, Brian Chin. “She did nothing wrong — she entered, and he followed her. I’m angry, I’m devastated for this woman and her family, devastated, heartbroken for everyone in the building.”

The suspect, 25-year-old Assamad Nash, was taken to Bellevue Hospital and evaluated before being moved back to the 5th precinct, where he is expected to be charged later today.

Nash is believed to be homeless.

He has been arrested at least seven times since 2015. Six of those arrests have happened since May of last year.

Nash also has two attempted escapes on his record.

In the most recent arrest, on January 6, 2022, he was accused of damaging 27 MetroCard machines at Herald Square, Penn Station and Second Avenue in a spree dating back to December 8.

Nash was due back in court March 3 to face charges in those incidents.

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