A new Netflix documentary has laid bare the sinister mystery of the ‘baby-faced killers’ – two teenagers who brutally murdered a man in Central Park, ‘mutilating’ his body and ripping out his insides, but police still don’t know why.
In May 1997, the body of a 44-year-old man named Michael McMorrow was found floating in the lake in Central Park, sparking a massive, nation-wide interest into what happened to him that would last for decades.
With 38 stab wounds, Michael’s face and hands were ‘hacked,’ and his stomach was ‘ripped open,’ his neck slit, and his organs ‘floating in the water.’
Described by one detective as one of the ‘most brutal’ scenes he had ever seen, the horrific crime quickly captured the entire world – especially after it was revealed that the two people arrested for his murder were just 15 years old.
A new Netflix documentary has laid bare the sinister mystery of the ‘baby-faced killers’ – two teenagers who brutally murdered a man in Central Park
In May 1997, the body of a 44-year-old man named Michael McMorrow (seen) was found floating in the lake in Central Park, sparking a massive, nation-wide interest into what happened to him
With 38 stab wounds, Michael’s face and hands were ‘hacked,’ and his stomach was ‘ripped open,’ and his organs ‘floating in the water.’ Detectives are seen at the spot he was found
15-year-olds Daphne Abdela (seen) and Christopher Vasquez were arrested for his murder, and the horrific crime quickly captured the entire world
Many began to wonder how the teens could have over-powered the six-foot, 200-pound man and theories about what happened divided the nation. Chris is seen
Many began to wonder how the teens, named Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez, could have over-powered the six-foot, 200-pound man.
Others questioned how they had met that fateful night in the park and what had led to them committing such a gruesome killing.
But unfortunately, many of the events surrounding Michael’s (pictured) death still remain a mystery to this day, baffling detectives and prosecutors even now
Theories seemed to divide the nation – some thought that Daphne and Chris were the victims and that he had tried to hurt them, while others branded Daphne as a master manipulator who forced Chris to kill him.
But unfortunately, many of the events surrounding Michael’s death still remain a mystery to this day, baffling detectives and prosecutors even now, 27 years on.
The puzzling crime has recently been revisited as part of Netflix’s new crime docuseries, Homicide: New York.
The network spoke to the detectives who worked on the case, the prosecutors who fought for justice, and the family members of the victim to try to finally uncover some answers.
But here is what we do know.
The tragic ordeal began in the early hours of May 23, 1997, when Daphne’s father called the police to say that his 15-year-old daughter hadn’t come home.
The puzzling crime has recently been revisited as part of Netflix’s new crime docuseries, Homicide: New York
Lee Furman (seen), a now-retired New York City detective, recalled how Daphne told him that boyfriend Chris had ‘gone crazy’ and murdered a man in the park
Detectives found Michael’s body in the lake near Strawberry Fields, and one officer described it as one of the ‘most brutal’ crime scenes he had ever seen
Lee Furman, a now-retired New York City detective, recalled in the doc how he went to her upper west side apartment, where a doorman told him he had seen her entering the utility room of the building with her boyfriend, Chris.
There, he found them sitting in a bathtub and ‘washing each other off.’
And while he initially thought he had just walked in on two teens getting intimate, he would later learn that they were actually cleaning off Michael’s blood in the aftermath of the devastating murder.
Lee explained that he was on his way back to the precinct when he heard an officer on the police radio say that someone had called in to report a body in Central Park – and the report had come from Daphne’s building.
He headed back to see the teen where Daphne told him that she had called the police to report the body after Chris left.
She claimed that she couldn’t say anything with him there because she was ‘afraid’ of her boyfriend.
Immediately, she painted Chris as the bad guy, telling police that he had ‘gone crazy’ and murdered a man in the park.
Daphne said she tried to save Michael, performing CPR, but one thing that she said instantly made Lee suspicious of her.
‘She said she had been in the park with her boyfriend, Chris, hanging out,’ recalled Lee of her initial statement.
‘They went for a walk and Chris went crazy and killed a guy. I wasn’t asking any questions, she was just divulging this information.
‘She said she had tried to give him CPR, [made it seem like she] tried to help instead of being part of it.
‘But she said when Chris was trying to get rid of the body, she told him, “Chris you should gut him and try to sink him to try to cover it up.”
‘Also, to be around something like that, it should be shocking, and her demeanor was normal, very relaxed.’
‘His abdomen had been ripped open and his intestines were floating in the water,’ death investigator Barbara Butcher (pictured) said. ‘There were multiple stab wounds’
It was clear right away to homicide detective Rob Mooney that the crime was not a ‘random act of violence’ and that it was ‘personal.’ Detectives are seen pulling his body out of the lake
‘The condition of the victim’s body and the amount of violence that attended to all these injuries was a clear indication that this was not a random act of violence,’ he explained
Immediately, detectives rushed to search Central Park, where they uncovered a grisly scene at the lake near Strawberry Fields.
‘I looked at the edge of the water, just bobbing and floating among the reeds was this pale man, well what was left of a man,’ death investigator Barbara Butcher said.
‘I stepped a little closer and saw his abdomen had been ripped open and his intestines were floating in the water.
‘His wrist was hacked, his right hand hanging, almost detached. There were multiple stab wounds. It was overkill, done out of passion, anger, rage.’
‘When I first saw the crime scene, I couldn’t help but feel this incredible sense of dissonance,’ former assistant DA Richard Plansky added.
‘That lake is in the center of this beautiful park yet what I was seeing at this crime scene was among the most brutal I had ever seen.’
The police identified the body as Michael, a 44-year-old real estate agent.
It was clear right away to homicide detective Rob Mooney that the crime was not a ‘random act of violence’ and that it was ‘personal.’
‘The condition of the victim’s body and the amount of violence that attended to all these injuries was a clear indication that this was not a random act of violence,’ he explained. ‘This was not a robbery that went bad.’
Police headed to Chris’ apartment in Spanish Harlem and placed him under arrest. They also took Daphne in to custody – but something just didn’t add up to them.
Police headed to Chris’ apartment in Spanish Harlem and placed him under arrest. They also took Daphne in to custody – but something just didn’t add up to them. The crime scene is seen
Police wondered how Chris, who ‘looked like a little kid,’ could have overpowered Michael by himself and they began to suspect that Daphne (seen) was involved
They found that Daphne’s father was a successful businessman while her mom was a French model, and that she had ‘lived a life of incredible privilege.’ She’s seen as a kid
‘When I looked at Chris I was kind of shocked because he looked like this little kid,’ Rob told viewers.
‘I knew he was 15 but he looked like he was 12. It didn’t seem likely to me that he was the sole responsible person for the mayhem that had occurred at that scene.’
Sergeant Wally Zeins wondered how a teenage boy of Chris’ size could have overpowered Michael by himself.
‘He was six foot and over 200 pounds,’ he said. ‘So for someone to be able to go out there and mutilate, dismember someone like that, there was more to the picture that I couldn’t understand.’
Law enforcement officials then started looking into every aspect of Daphne and Chris’ lives.
They found that Daphne’s father was a successful businessman while her mom was a French model, and that she had ‘lived a life of incredible privilege.’
But she had become involved in ‘booze and drugs’ in her teenage years, which got her thrown out of the elite private school she was attending. She had also been to rehab twice.
A family friend recalled how her ‘attitude had become worse and worse,’ adding that she ‘refused to follow any rules or curfew.’
Chris, on the other hand, was described as a ‘Boy Scout and former alter boy’ who was raised by a single mom.
‘He was a good kid but he was very introverted,’ Rob revealed. ‘And he got picked on a lot at school because of his [small] size and introverted behavior.’
They interviewed their friends and family members, and the detectives came to believe that ‘Chris was a lap dog’ who just ‘followed along with Daphne.’
‘She controlled everything with him,’ said Wally. While Rob added, ‘How could skinny little Chris Vasquez do all that damage by himself? The answer is, Chris didn’t do it by himself.’
But she had become involved in ‘booze and drugs’ in her teenage years, which got her thrown out of the elite private school she was attending. She had also been to rehab twice
They interviewed their friends and family members, and the detectives came to believe that ‘Chris was a lap dog’ who just ‘followed along with Daphne.’ The victim, Michael, is seen
After speaking to witnesses, the police uncovered that Daphne and Chris were rollerblading in the park together on the night of Michael’s murder.
They eventually crossed paths with Michael, who struggled with alcoholism and would drink in the park some evenings, and went down to the lake to party together.
But what led to his death once they got down to the lake was still a mystery to them.
Even so, both teenagers were charged with murder in the second degree and pled not-guilty.
Immediately, the world became enthralled with the crime – but headlines began to paint Michael as the bad guy rather than the victim.
‘When you see Mike drinking late at night with two 15-year-olds in the park, it’s not hard to paint that picture,’ said one of his family members in the doc.
Richard pointed out that it was ‘hard for people’ to ‘wrap their heads around’ the fact that the teens might have committed such a terrible crime, especially because they both looked ‘like kids.’
The media reported that Michael may have ‘made a pass’ at Daphne, which ‘sent her boyfriend in a rage’ – but the detectives didn’t think that was the case.
‘There wasn’t one thing that we learned about him that would have ever indicated that he did something bad to anybody,’ Rob vowed.
‘He was in fact a kind person who was good to anybody that he met to a fault. In this particular instance, [he was] in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Throughout their entire investigation, Rob explained that Daphne made it seem like she was an ‘eye-witness’ to Chris’ crime, rather than a suspect.
But everything changed during one interview in the days after her indictment.
While speaking to police, she accidentally let it slip that she had attacked Michael – and it was the turning point in the case.
‘Daphne was born practically thinking she was superior to the rest of the world and that she was the most important person in any room she went into,’ Rob explained.
‘She, I’m sure, thought she was smarter and would be able to talk her way out of it. But there’s nothing we like better, keep talking.’
He said at one point, he showed her images of a bizarre set of round bruises on the back of Michael’s leg.
‘She got a little bit coy, she was turning the picture around and looking at it, she’s being hesitant about it. Her lawyer taps her on the shoulder and says, “It’s OK, you can tell him,”‘ Rob recalled.
Both teenagers were charged with murder in the second degree and plead not-guilty. During interviews, Daphne made it seem like she was an ‘eye-witness’ to Chris’ crime
While speaking to police days after her indictment, however, she accidentally let it slip that she had attacked Michael (seen) – and it was the turning point in the case
Barbara explained that after that, Daphne could ‘no longer deny that she had any involvement’ because had admitted to ‘assaulting’ Michael and ‘rendering him helpless’
She plead guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and was sentenced three to nine years behind bars. Chris received the same charge and sentence
‘Then I reach in the box and I take her rollerblade out and I said, “Does this help jar your memories about this at all?”
‘Then she began to demonstrated part of her true behavior. She said, “I thought he was going to hurt my friend so I kicked him. I kicked him and he fell down and Chris jumped on him and was stabbing him some more.” And then the lawyer went, “OK, we’re done.”‘
Barbara explained that after that, Daphne could ‘no longer deny that she had any involvement’ because had admitted to ‘assaulting’ Michael and ‘rendering him helpless.’
‘We knew she had to have helped Chris. Now for the first time, she’s telling us,’ Richard added.
Due to the lack of evidence, police ultimately made a deal with Daphne, and she pled guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and was sentenced three to nine years behind bars.
They were both released in 2004, but police – and Michael’s family – are still unhappy with the results, and still baffled by what happened the night. Daphne is seen leaving prison after her release
Chris went to trial, but was ultimately found not guilty for murder in the second degree and guilty for manslaughter one, receiving the same sentence as Daphne.
‘The defense that was put forward was, three people went down to the lake, two people came back, and neither one of them is talking so you just don’t know what the hell happened down at the lake,’ Richard explained.
‘If you’re not sure who was actually doing the cutting, then you’ve got to have a reasonable doubt about this young man’s guilt.
‘The defense put the blame on Daphne but the overall strategy was, “We just don’t know. And if you don’t know, you have to acquit my client.”‘
Both Daphne and Chris were released from prison in January 2004 after six years behind bars.
Daphne, however, ultimately returned to finish her nine-year sentence after she broke her parole agreement by getting into a physical altercation with a fellow resident at a halfway house she was staying in.
But police – and Michael’s family – are still unhappy with the results, and still baffled by what happened the night.
‘My brother’s life was worth a lot more than six years in prison,’ Michael’s brother said in the documentary.
‘We know who did it, but why? Why? Why? Why?’ a frustrated Barbara added. ‘That’s the kind of thing that drives you crazy. I don’t feel like justice was done. It just doesn’t feel fair.’
