The man accused of killing 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee revealed on Wednesday that he was "trying to help the lady," according to prosecutor reports.
Lee was found on February 13 in her New York City apartment in Chinatown with multiple stab wounds, and police quickly arrested 25-year-old Assamad Nash at the crime scene, after surveillance camera footage obtained by the New York Post showed the man following her into her apartment building just before the attack.
Nash was arraigned on Wednesday in the Manhattan Supreme Court on charges of murder, burglary, and sexually motivated burglary, all first-degree offenses.
Court documents shared with Newsweek by the District Attorney's Office quoted Nash saying, "I was trying to help this female getting hurt by other people. I was trying to help the lady."
Nash entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday and allegedly claimed to police that he was also a victim after authorities found him hiding under Lee's bed covered in blood.
The court documents detail Nash asking police multiple times if Lee was "okay," and Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran said in court, "The defendant stated that he was just trying to protect the victim that there was another guy who stabbed them both and escaped."
"I am from Chinatown and I am for my people. I was trying to help the female out. I am not lying. The dude stabbed us up," Nash said.
Law enforcement told The Post that security camera footage shows Lee entering her apartment building at roughly 4:20 a.m., and the suspected killer caught the door right before it closed and walked in behind her. Nash followed her up to her sixth-floor apartment, staying one floor behind her at all times, and quickly entered her apartment behind her before the door shut.
The police were called around 4:30 a.m. when Lee's neighbors heard screaming. Officers managed to get into the apartment an hour later after the suspect barricaded himself inside, and Lee was pronounced dead at the scene.
The brutal attack added to the already growing concerns about anti-Asian violence, although authorities have yet to determine Lee's death as a hate crime. Asian communities in New York City held a rally shortly after the attack, calling attention to the violence, the Washington Post reported.
Anti-Asian crimes escalated in New York City in the year 2021, and The New York Police Department reported in December that incidents targeting Asians rose by 361 percent.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated in a press release on Wednesday that the indictment of Nash "marks the beginning of our pursuit of justice in the name of Christina Yuna Lee, a bright and beloved New Yorker who should not have had her life cut short in such a violent, shocking manner in her own home."
"Ms. Yuna Lee's death not only devastated her loved ones, but struck fear into the hearts of our AAPI neighbors, who have already suffered far too much pain in recent years. All New Yorkers deserve to be safe and secure, and we will ensure accountability for this senseless murder," Bragg added.
Nash, who was living in a homeless shelter at the time of the crime, has also been connected to three other criminal cases, involving an alleged illegal sale of a subway fare, punching a commuter in the face and fleeing from police after being caught inflicting damage on MetroCard machines, WNBC reported.
If convicted, Nash faces a minimum of 25 years in prison. His next court date is scheduled for July 18.
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Emma Mayer is a Newsweek Culture Writer based in Wyoming. Her focus is reporting on celebrities, books, movies, and music. ... Read more
