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Christina Yuna Lee, a 35-year-old Asian-American woman, was stabbed to death in her own apartment in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The suspect was later identified as 25-year-old serial criminal Assamad Nash.
The NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit arrived at the scene around 5.40 am and found the victim lying topless on her bathroom floor with at least 40 stab wounds to her body. She was pronounced dead by the New York City Fire Department at 5.55 am.
Officers later found the suspect hiding under the victim’s bed with a stab wound to his torso and cuts on his hands and shoulder. Investigators also discovered a yellow-handled knife behind a dresser in Lee’s bedroom.
The woman’s final moments were also captured on a surveillance camera placed at the entrance of her Chrystie Street apartment. A chilling video obtained by The New York Post showed the suspect following Christina Yuna Lee as she got out of a cab and entered her building in the early hours of Sunday.
Exploring Christina Yuna Lee’s brutal murder case
On Sunday, February 13, Christina Yuna Lee was found dead in her New York City apartment with nearly 40 stab wounds to her body. Prosecutors believed the incident to be a s*xually motivated crime.
The suspect, Assamad Nash, was also caught at the scene and later identified as a homeless serial criminal who already had three open criminal cases, including one for assaulting 63-year-old David Elliot in a subway station.
As per the surveillance camera footage, Nash trailed behind Christina Yuna Lee as she entered her building a little after 4 am on Sunday and followed her to the sixth floor of her apartment by staying on a flight of stairs below the victim.
According to the legal complaint, the suspect allegedly pushed himself into the apartment after Lee opened the door to her room. One of the victim’s sixth-floor neighbors heard her screams during the stabbing and called 911 around 4.20 am.
Nearby police officers also heard her screams from inside the apartment but failed to enter the building until the Emergency Services Unit arrived at the venue. Law enforcement officials also said that the suspect imitated a woman’s voice to stop officers from entering the apartment:
"They hear the victim calling for help from inside the apartment but then she goes quiet. The defendant imitated a voice of (a) woman when he was in the apartment and said they didn't need police."
Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran said that Nash created a blockade inside the apartment and prompted the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit to bust down the door. Authorities also alleged that he attempted to escape the scene using the fire exit but was stopped by an officer on the rooftop.
Nash was later arrested and charged with “one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of s*xually motivated burglary.”
The suspect was reportedly arrested multiple times over the past few years on charges of assault, possession of drugs and harassment. He is currently being held at Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric evaluation and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, February 18, 2022.
Asian community demands justice for Christina Yuna Lee’s death
Christina Yuna Lee’s brutal murder sparked a major outcry among the Asian community about the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the city. Residents of Manhattan’s Chinatown organized a rally earlier this week to condemn cases of violence against the Asian community.
According to The Daily Mail, the victim’s landlord Brian Chin said the incident could have been avoided if the suspect remained in prison for his previous crimes:
“This all could have been avoided. This guy should never have been out of the street. And it's DA Alvin Bragg playing politics with people's lives and the Asian community has been hurt.”
He further pointed out the growing number of crimes against Asians in the city using Lee’s death as a reference:
“My grandparents are Chinese immigrants that came here trying to build themselves up. We built up this community and it's just getting torn down so fast by one district attorney. It's heart wrenching. This is just so horrific on so many levels. She did not do anything wrong. She did not deserve this.”
Chinatown activist Jackie Wong echoed similar sentiments in his own statement:
“This is yet another Asian woman killed in her apartment. She did nothing wrong. The only mistake she made was moving to New York to make the city her home. We know the Lee family lost a loved one, and we share their pain.”
Unfortunately, Brian Chin told The New York Post on Wednesday that a makeshift memorial placed outside Lee’s building in her memory was also vandalized overnight:
“This morning, the candles that we have all lit as a community for her during the vigil and we all left out here were smashed. The ‘Stop Asian Hate’ sign was torn. One sign was ripped up. I threw it away… They try to desecrate her as much as they could and we as a community are beyond fed up, we are beyond angry and we are tired of being attacked. We are tired of seeing this hatred and we are not going to stand for it anymore.
Several people also took to social media to decry the horrific murder of Lee:
In response to the mass outcry, New York Mayor Eric Adams issued an official statement about Christina Yuna Lee's murder and said:
“I and New Yorkers across the city mourn for the innocent woman murdered in her home last night in Chinatown and stand with our Asian brothers and sisters today.”
He also assured the NYPD was investigating the incident and mentioned that the violence would not “go unchecked.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also mourned the loss of Christina Yuna Lee and expressed her solidarity towards the Asian community:
“We have seen far too many acts of violence against AAPI New Yorkers in recent months. We must make sure every community is safe in our state.I join New Yorkers standing together in support of our AAPI friends & neighbors.”
Christina Yuna Lee was reportedly a New York-based creative producer who worked to create marketing and advertising content for prominent companies like Google, Twix, Equinox, TOMS, Cole Haan and ALDO.
