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Suspected Killer Of Italian College Student Says He Was Under "Evil Spell"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 2, 2011
Modified Dec 2, 2011
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via Il Centro
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 2, 2011
Modified Dec 2, 2011
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The Bronx man accused of fatally stabbing an Italian college student to death last week claimed in a confession that he was possessed by an "evil spell." Bakary Camara, 41, who once dated Borough of Manhattan Community College student and part-time waitress Rita Morelli, has been charged with second-degree murder. And according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the "somewhat rambling" three-page note explains his motivation: "There was some sort of evil spell placed over him, and that's why he did it."
Morrelli, who moved to the city five years ago from her hometown of Spoltore, Italy, was discovered by her live-in boyfriend with her throat slashed in their East 120th Street studio apartment last Wednesday. Police say Camara, a Gambian immigrant, tried to strangle her, then stabbed her twice in the chest and slashed her throat.
Police tracked him down thanks to an "anonymous" 911 call he allegedly made from a Bronx payphone to report her dead body: “By now you’ve found the body on East 120th. When you find my dead body, you will find a note in my pocket explaining everything,” he allegedly said. Investigators began calling numbers on Morelli’s cell phone and recognized Camara's voice.
Camara tried to stab himself to death after cops burst into his Bronx home; he is currently in stable condition at St. Barnabas Hospital. Police found the three-page note on him when they went to arrest him: "He was standing there with a knife pointed at his chest. He makes incriminating statements as to the fact that he killed the woman. He then stabs himself in the chest," Kelly told reporters.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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