Karen Matthews
People hold signs and photos of Christina Yuna Lee during a rally in New York’s Chinatown, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Lee was stabbed to death in her lower Manhattan apartment by a man who followed her from the street into her building, authorities said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NEW YORK (AP) — A woman was stabbed to death in her lower Manhattan apartment by a man who followed her from the street into her building, authorities said.
Police said Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was found seriously injured in the bathtub around 4:30 a.m. on February 13. A police spokesman said the suspected killer initially tried to escape from the fire escape, then locked himself in the apartment before being taken into custody.
Assamad Nash, 25, was arrested on charges of murder and burglary, police announced on February 14. It is unclear whether he has a lawyer who can comment on the allegations.
Officials including New York Gov. Kathy Hocher and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have condemned Lee’s killing as the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks on people of Asian descent.
“I stand with New Yorkers in support of our AAPI friends and neighbors,” Hocher tweeted.
Dozens of community residents and their supporters chanted “enough!” at a rally near the victim’s building. “Our elected officials need to act,” said Susan Lee, who is not associated with Christina Lee.
“I implore them to take action so that another life is not lost.”
Christina Lee is a Senior Creative Producer at Splice, an online digital music platform. According to her LinkedIn page, she is a graduate of Rutgers University and has previously worked at companies including Marriott and shoe retailer Thomas.
“Our beloved Christina Lee was mercilessly murdered at home over the weekend,” Splice officials said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Our hearts are broken. Christina has always been committed to making beautiful and inclusive artwork and she is irreplaceable. As we begin to deal with this tragedy, we ask you to remember Christina Lee, She was an amazing person, always full of joy. We wish her family the best of luck in their grief.”
Surveillance video obtained by The New York Post shows a man following Lee into her building on Christy Street in Chinatown.
The building’s landlord told The Washington Post that cameras posted on every floor showed the man following Lee upstairs to her sixth-floor apartment. A neighbor heard screams and called 911, police said.
The killing comes weeks after another Asian woman, Michelle Alyssa Go, was killed by a man who pushed her in front of an oncoming subway train.
