The man accused of brutally killing a woman he "mercilessly stalked" up six flights of stairs before quietly slipping into her Chinatown apartment was found unfit to stand trial, the Manhattan district attorney said.
Assamad Nash face murder and other charges in the Feb. 13, 2022, slaying of Christina Yuna Lee, in which police said Nash stabbed the victim more than 40 times in the neck and torso. In addition to the murder charge, the 25-year-old Nash was also charged with burglary and burglary as a sexually motivated felony.
The Manhattan DA's office said the Nash was found unfit for trial following a psychiatric examination, and will be remanded to the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene until it is determined he is fit enough to proceed.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
The 35-year-old Lee was just getting home from a Saturday night out when she was dropped off at her building on Chrystie Street — and had no idea someone was following her.
The building's landlord said that Nash "mercilessly stalked" his victim, and images obtained by NBC New York showed him following her up the stairs.
"She opened the door and he just slipped in right behind her. She never even knew he was there," said Lee's landlord, Brian Chin.
After following her up the six flights of stairs, Nash allegedly forced his way into her apartment and attacked her, stabbing her dozens of times.
Lee's screams pierced through the building just after 4 a.m., which led two young women who live across the hall to call 911. Officers got to the building in three minutes.
Prosecutors said that Lee was still alive when officers arrived in the building, as they could hear her cries and screams for help, but the door was barricaded.
Emergency Services Unit personnel knocked down a steel door, but Lee went silent as officers were still trying to get into the apartment. They found Lee's body in her bathroom.
Police said they found Nash under Lee's bed, and took him into custody at the scene, with the alleged murder weapon under a dresser.
Officials familiar with the case said Nash had five prior felonies and three pending court cases on various matters.
Just five weeks before the alleged killing, Nash had been caught jamming dozens of MetroCard machines in early January. He was released without bail and granted supervised release, but was not ordered to undergo psychological examination by mental health professionals, which could have led to him being recommended for professional treatment.
Nash is believed to have most recently lived at a homeless shelter on The Bowery. Attorney for Nash was not immediately available.
Earlier in June, Lee's family said they were suing New York City and the NYPD over alleged failure to intervene the night of her killing.
Her family claims they have received little information from the police department. For example, Boshun Lee, the victim's aunt, says the family learned the woman had been stabbed 40 times from the media — not from police.
Lee's family say prayers won't bring them answers about the NYPD response that night — that’s why they’ve filed the lawsuit alleging negligence.
”We have not had access to the police report itself. But we are calling to account the police department in terms of its failure to protect Christina," Charles Yoon, the family's attorney, said.
Their lawsuit claims unnamed officers responded but did not enter Lee's apartment until an hour after 911 calls from neighbors who reported hearing screaming.
“Whereas the police had ample opportunity to intervene, they did not," Yoon said.
The complaint says, "The responding NYPD members denied and/or unreasonably delayed providing Ms. Lee with police assistance and emergency medical treatment causing her pain and suffering and contributing to her death."
Spokespersons for NYC and the NYPD previously told NBC New York they don't comment on pending litigation.
