Man sentenced to 30 years to life in fatal stabbing of Christina Yuna Lee in her Manhattan apartment

(CNN) — A man was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison Tuesday for fatally stabbing a 35-year-old woman inside her New York City apartment in 2022 after following her home, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Assamad Nash, 27, had pleaded guilty to murder and burglary charges in June in connection with the killing of Christina Yuna Lee.

CNN has sought comment from Nash’s attorney.

“Christina Yuna Lee was killed in an unthinkably horrific manner in her own apartment at the hands of Assamad Nash,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said in a news release Tuesday. “Ms. Yuna Lee was a creative, kind and joyful person and her death not only devastated her family but left a lasting impact on an entire community.”

In February 2022, Nash followed Lee up to the sixth floor of her walk-up apartment in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood while remaining about a flight of stairs below her, and when Lee entered her apartment, Nash ran to the door and pushed his way inside, according to the DA’s office.

Nash attempted to sexually assault Lee during the incident, the DA’s office said.

After police responded to at least one neighbor’s 911 call, they heard a woman calling for help from inside the apartment. Responding officers heard Lee’s screams but were unable to breach the door, according to the DA’s release. It’s unclear why officers couldn’t immediately enter the apartment.

Nash tried to flee through the fire escape but went back inside after spotting a police officer on the roof above him, the DA’s office said.

Eventually, officers broke down the apartment door and found Nash hiding under Lee’s mattress and a bloodied kitchen knife hidden behind the dresser. Lee had more than 40 stab wounds, authorities said.

Lee’s family filed a lawsuit in May 2024 against members of the New York City Police Department and New York City, claiming delays in police assistance and medical care ultimately led to her death.

The NYPD declined to comment Tuesday on pending litigation.

New York City’s law department previously said it was reviewing the complaint. CNN sought comment from the department again Tuesday.

The NYPD also declined to comment Tuesday on whether Lee’s race or ethnicity played a role in the attack, or whether the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is involved in the investigation. But the death of Lee, an Asian woman, in Chinatown has raised fears in New York and across the country, where anti-Asian violence has been on the rise in recent years, advocates say.

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