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Grad Student's Murder Scares City
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 1, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 1, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Police are searching in vain for clues in the murder of graduate student Imette St. Guillen, who was last seen at a downtown bar 18 hours before her naked body was found in Brooklyn. They released images of the comforter she was found wrapped in, alongside Fountain Avenue, saying the Springmaid comforter is something one would find at a cheap motel, asking the public to call Crimestoppers (800-577-TIPS) with any clues. Police have ruled out St. Guillen's ex-boyfriend from Boston and a John Jay grad school classmate as suspects, leaving them with a few theories about what could have happened: She might have been attacked by someone on the street or by a cabby; she could have left with someone she met at a bar who she later tried to escape; or she was jumped by someone on the street. The police are hoping to find the person who made the 911 call that led them to St. Guillen's body; detectives think the person has some inside information because the body was in a very remote area that wasn't very accessible.
And the Daily News has given the murderer a nickname, the "Mummy Maniac," given the way St. Guillen's face was wrapped in clear tape. Police sources say she could have suffocated while taped and that he could attack again (her hair had been cut off as well.) The 24 year old's sister and mother appeared on Rita Crosby's MSNBC show last night, also asking that anyone with information to come forward during a very sad segment: Her sister Alejandra said, "She loved New York. New York was her home. She loved the people of New York. She deserves to have this person or people brought to justice" and mentioned her sister would feel better if the murderer were caught so this wouldn't happen again.
The Daily News' Michael Daly lists forty questions about the crime, with this last one: Will we remember that even if we live in the safest big city in America, the world is still a dangerous place?
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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