Christina Yuna Lee, a senior creative producer at the digital music platform Splice, was murdered over the weekend inside her apartment in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York. She was 35.
The suspect, Assamad Nash. who allegedly was seen on security video following Lee into her apartment, has been arrested and charged in connection with Lee’s stabbing death, according to New York 1 and other local reports. Nash, 25, of Manhattan is charged with murder and burglary.
Police said officers responded to a 911 call around 4:20 a.m. Sunday reporting a dispute inside an apartment on Chrystie Street. When officers entered the residence, they found Lee, 35, in the bathroom with trauma to her body, police told the station. She was pronounced dead at the scene; officers said she had been stabbed. Detectives are working to determine whether the incident was a hate crime.
“Our beloved Christina Lee was senselessly murdered in her home,” the company wrote in a social media post. “Our hearts are broken. Always dedicated to making beautiful and inclusive artwork, Christina is irreplaceable… We ask that you remember Christina Lee as the magical person she was, always filled with joy.”
RIP our beautiful friend and colleague Christina Lee pic.twitter/vcnhVqgNaH
— Splice (@splice) February 14, 2022
Lee was a Rutgers University graduate and worked as a senior creative producer at digital music platform Splice, a rep for the company confirmed to PvNew. She had previously worked on campaigns for Google, Twix, Equinox, Cole Haan and other companies.
Nash was taken into custody and evaluated at Bellevue Hospital on Sunday afternoon, the report says. He denied murdering Lee when asked by reporters. Sources told NY1 that Nash has been arrested several times before, most recently last year, and is facing charges in relation to those incidents including criminal mischief, resisting arrest, harassment and assault. The assault charges stem from an incident in September on the same block where Sunday’s murder happened.
A vigil for Lee was held in New York on Monday morning.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday called the woman’s death “the definition of horrific.”
“[The NYPD] is investigating this incident and we stand with our Asian community today,” he tweeted. “The suspect is in custody, but the conditions that created him remain. The mission of this administration is clear: We won’t let this violence go unchecked.”
