WGNO

Woman followed into NY apartment, stabbed more than 40 times, police say

Paul Gerke, J. Scott Wilson, and Nexstar Media Wire

People hold signs and pictures of Christina Yuna Lee during a rally in the Chinatown section of New York, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Lee was stabbed to death inside her lower Manhattan apartment by a man who followed her from the street into her building, authorities said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — Christina Lee, 35, was returning to her home in New York’s Chinatown around 4:20 a.m. Sunday when, according to surveillance video, a man came in behind her.

That man, identified by police as 25-year-old Assamad Nash, who was experiencing homelessness, allegedly stalked Lee up six flights of stairs and forced his way into her apartment. Lee screamed for help and neighbors called police, but officers were initially unable to force their way into the apartment.

According to police, Nash mimicked a woman’s voice through the closed door, saying everything was OK and no one in the unit needed assistance, then attempted to escape using the fire escape before coming back into the apartment.

A SWAT team arrived about an hour later, but it was too late to save Lee. Officers forced entry to the apartment and found Lee’s body in the bathtub. She had been stabbed more than 40 times, according to police reports.

Nash was found hiding under a bed in the apartment. What is believed to be the weapon used in the stabbing was found behind a dresser, according to police.

Nash was taken into custody. He was arraigned Monday night on charges of murder and burglary. He could face life in prison.

Christina Lee worked as a senior creative producer at Splice, an online platform for digital music. She was a graduate of Rutgers University and had previously worked for companies including Marriott and shoe retailer Toms, according to her LinkedIn page.

Lee’s neighbors in the close-knit community are on edge at what seems to such a random crime. One neighbor said, “This is my neighborhood, and it’s just so sad that this happened here. It’s not fair. It’s really tragic, and I feel like things need to change.”

The Korean American community plans to rally at 11 a.m. Tuesday across the street from the apartment building where Lee was killed at Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

Officials including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams denounced Lee’s killing as the latest in a string of unprovoked attacks on people of Asian descent.

“I join New Yorkers standing together in support of our AAPI friends & neighbors,” Hochul said on Twitter.

Police have not classified Lee’s death as a hate crime, but Adams said the police are investigating and added, “we stand with our Asian community today.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.