Left: Christina Yuna Lee (X). Right: Assamad Nash (Curtis Means/Daily Mail.com via AP, Pool).
A homeless man will spend at least three decades behind bars for the senseless stalker-killing of a New York City woman who he followed up six flights of stairs and into her apartment in early 2022.
The brutal death of Christina Yuna Lee, 35, shocked citizens of the Big Apple due to its inexplicable nature and disturbing brutality. The woman’s killer, Assamad Nash, 27, for no clear reason, slowly stabbed her to death over an hour — inflicting at least 40 wounds.
The violence was of a piece — coming at a time of intense fear in Asian communities throughout the five boroughs due to an exponential increase in anti-Asian hate crimes throughout 2021.
At the time of her death, Lee actively worked to raise awareness of and advocate against hate crimes targeting Asians.
During a victim impact statement, the victim’s father, Sungkon Lee, asked New York County Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward to impose the maximum sentence on her killer, according to a courtroom report by the New York Daily News.
“Christina had a good nature and was considerate,” her father said. “She was a truly good daughter who always treated her family, friends, and people around her with a smile and kindness. She worked hard at her company with a sincere attitude. As an employee, she was praised by her colleagues for being an excellent employee.”
On Feb. 13, 2022, at around 4:20 a.m., Lee entered her building near the corners of Grand and Chrystie streets, an intersection in the heart of New York City’s first-built and third-largest Chinatown.
Nash, who had recently been living at a shelter in the nearby Bowery neighborhood, watched his victim from the street as she made her way inside. Then, he silently followed her into the foyer and up the stairwell. As Lee opened the door to her unit, Nash ran up behind, shoved his way inside, and attempted to sexually assault her.
Two minutes later, neighbors dialed 911, describing sounds of a struggle, including a woman’s voice screaming for help. Officers from the NYPD’s 5th Precinct, roughly three blocks away, eventually arrived. According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, police “heard her calling for help inside, but could not gain entry.”
Law enforcement broke the door down around 5:40 a.m., but by then, it was far too late for the creative producer at Splice.
“After Christina died, the remaining family members have been having a hard time living each day, feeling overwhelmed with longing and regret,” Lee’s father added during the sentencing hearing. “Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen to our family? I just feel resentful that God is giving my family this ordeal.”
Memorial for stabbing victim Christina Yuna Lee sits in front of a mural on Mosco Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown in New York (NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx 2022 2/17/22).
The since-condemned man was first spotted by law enforcement with a yellow object in his hand while trying to exit through a window but went back inside when he saw a police officer on the roof above, prosecutors said. Officers finally made their way through the victim’s front door and found Nash hiding under a mattress. A bloodied “yellow-handled kitchen knife” was found hidden behind a dresser, Bragg said. The deceased woman’s body was found in her bathtub with at least 40 stab wounds to her torso, head and neck.
On Feb. 14, 2022, the killer was charged with one count of murder in the first degree, one count of burglary in the first degree, and one count of burglary as a sexually motivated felony.
On June 18, Nash pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary in the first-degree as a sexually motivated felony. On Tuesday, the killer was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
Outside the courtroom, Lee’s father outlined the basis of a pending lawsuit against the city. Criticizing the police response, the Lee family wants to know why the NYPD was able to arrive at the apartment within minutes but failed to gain entry until 80-plus minutes later.
The slain woman’s relatives don’t want any money, they say, but want the city to build a shelter in her name.
“We want Christina’s memory to be remembered and to prevent others from having a similar fate,” Lee said, according to the Daily News. “This is based on the fact that the culprit was homeless. It will contribute to preventing the recurrence of similar incidents in the future, and it will be a way to honor and remember Christina.”
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