Justice for Christina
Tears, anger in Chinatown after woman’s horrifi c murder
BY DEAN MOSES
Residents of Chinatown
joined together in collective
sorrow and anger in
the days following the murder
of their neighbor Christina
Yuna Lee.
Well over a hundred Chinatown
locals gathered in Sara
D. Roosevelt Park on Chrystie
and Hester Streets on Feb. 14
to decry another senseless death
of a member of the AAPI community
and to demand action.
Roaring with anger the group
chanted, “Enough is enough!”
and lambasted elected offi cials
for failing to take meaningful
action.
“I live here. I work here. I’m
Italian. My wife is Asian—this
has got to stop. I am afraid for
myself, and I am afraid for my
wife. Please I beg the city of
New York: Protect my family,”
Edward Cuccia said.
Thirty-fi ve-year-old Christina
Yuna Lee was allegedly followed
into her Chrystie Street
apartment during the early
hours of Feb. 13 by Assamad
Nash, 25, who stabbed her to
death. Clinging to photographs
LOCAL NEWS
Residents clung to photographs of Christina Yuna Lee.
of Lee, the community charged
that this death is a symptom of a
broken New York, in particular
Sara D. Roosevelt Park for being
a haven of drug use, homelessness,
and mental illness. As
amNewYork Metro noted in July
2021, residents say the state of
the park has grown worse during
the pandemic, leaving them
feeling unsafe and disgusted.
“We need something real, not
a knee-jerk reaction BS from
our elected offi cials,” local advocate
Don Lee said. “Without
real accountability this will continue
to happen. It will continue
to happen in places like Chinatown
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
because this is where we
lack resources.”
NYPD Inspector Max Tolentino
was on the way to work
when he decided to pay his respects
by joining in the sorrow.
After hearing about the case, he
yearned to stand in solidarity
with community in mourning.
“They are out here asking that
we don’t have another crime like
this again and that they’ve had
enough and rightfully so. And,
you know, I’m just here to support
this community,” Tolentino
told amNewYork Metro.
Tolentino also strove to remind
the Chinatown residents
that the NYPD is on hand to
support them, and they will be
conducting special training programs
to keep locals safe.
“We’re just going to add a
series of more events like this
throughout the city to help
inform them of how to stay
safe. And if they see anything
strange, call 911 immediately,”
Tolentino said.
Lee’s murder has both caused
bystander trauma where locals
fear to leave their homes and
resurrects assault memories
for those who’ve survived anti-
Asian hate crimes.
Potri Ranka Manis, a registered
nurse, was attacked by a
couple last summer while distributing
masks on a E train at
42nd Street and 8th Avenue in
Manhattan. When she heard
about Lee’s death, the memories
of her assault and the stories of
countless AAPI victims fl ooded
her mind.
“All this hate crime that’s
going on is just surfacing the
cracks of our society that grabs
the attention to mental health
that grabs attention to poverty,”
Manis said. “This is a trigger
for me.”
Chinatown murder victim stabbed
40 times, found in pool of blood
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Christina Yuna Lee was
trapped early Sunday
morning, screaming for
help after a knife-wielding
stranger followed her into her
sixth-fl oor Chinatown apartment.
But her cries were answered
far too late.
Prosecutors said the stranger,
Assamad Nash, 25, allegedly
stabbed Lee, 35, more
than 40 times— leaving her
partially naked and lying in a
pool of her own blood inside
the bathroom.
Nash was taken into custody
following a brief standoff
with police at the scene, and
later charged with fi rst-degree
murder. He had been out on
supervised release after being
arrested three times in
four months last fall for misdemeanor
crimes including
assault, illegally selling Metro-
Card swipes and vandalizing
MetroCard vending machines
in the subway system.
But Nash is now behind
bars indefi nitely after being
arraigned Monday night in
New York Criminal Court on
the murder charge. Judge Jay
Weiner, who presided over the
arraignment, remanded Nash
without bail after Assistant
District Attorney Dafna Yoran
outlined on the record the grisly
details of the heinous crime
that has shocked and horrifi ed
an entire community.
According to prosecutors,
Lee arrived at her Chrystie
Street residence at about 4:20
a.m. on Feb. 13, ascending the
six fl ights of stairs leading to
her walk-up apartment. Nash
allegedly followed her inside
just as the front door was closing
.T
he motive for Nash’s actions
remains under investigation;
the Manhattan DA’s
offi ce is examining whether
Nash allegedly targeted Lee
based on her race. For now,
he was additionally booked
on two fi rst-degree burglary
charges, one of which was
described as “sexually motivated.”
Just as Lee entered her
apartment, authorities said,
Nash allegedly pushed his way
inside and closed the door behind
her. Neighbors reported
hearing screams coming
Assamad Nash is escorted out of the 5th Precinct stationhouse
on Feb. 14, 2022.
from within Lee’s apartment,
prompting them to call 911.
Offi cers from the 5th Precinct
arrived moments later
outside the apartment door,
but they were unable to get in.
Prosecutors said they could
hear Lee screaming for help
from the other side — when
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
suddenly, all went quiet.
Later, inside the bathroom,
offi cers found Lee, naked
from the waist up and covered
in blood, having been stabbed
more than 40 times about
her torso. EMS units subsequently
pronounced her dead
at the scene.
Schneps Media February 17, 2022 3