Man sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2022 fatal Chinatown stabbing

CHINATOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) – The man who attacked a woman in her home, stabbing her dozens of times in a crime that terrorized New York City, will be in prison for 30 years to life.

That’s the sentence that was handed down on Tuesday morning for 27-year-old Assamad Nash .

Nash brutally attacked Christina Yuna Lee , 35, in her apartment in Chinatown in Manhattan in February 2022. The crime raised concerns about anti-Asian attacks, but it was not classified as a hate crime.

Nash pleaded guilty last month to murder in the second degree and burglary in the first degree as a sexually motivated felony in relation to the attack.

It happened in the 4 a.m. hour on Feb. 13, 2022. That’s when, according to police, Nash stealthily followed Lee up the stairs to her sixth-floor walkup apartment after she returned home from a night out. As she opened her door, Nash attacked her from behind.

Her screams alerted neighbors, who called 911, but it wasn’t until an hour after the attack that police were able to gain entry into Lee’s apartment, even though officers were on scene immediately. Nash barricaded in the apartment and tried to convince responding officers that there was no problem and that instead he had helped Lee after someone else attacked her.

On Tuesday, after the sentence was read, Lee’s family held a news conference. Her father, Sungkon Lee, said that his family is suing the city, but that they would drop the lawsuit if the city renamed a shelter in her honor.

Nash was homeless and, said Christina Yuna Lee’s father, having her honored in such a manner “will contribute to preventing the recurrence of similar incidents in the future.”

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