Police have arrested the former executive assistant to a young tech CEO found beheaded and limbless inside his Lower East Side condo on Tuesday afternoon.
At a brief news conference on Friday afternoon, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said the suspect, 21-year-old Tyrese Devon Haspil, was taken into custody at 8:45 a.m. on Friday morning and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Fahim Saleh, a venture capitalist.
"The extensive investigation led by the 7th Precinct Detective Squad, Manhattan South Homicide identified the perpetrator in less than three days," said Harrison.
Saleh's body was discovered by his cousin on Tuesday afternoon, at Saleh's 7th floor condo on East Houston Street. Saleh, 33, had purchased the two-bedroom home last year for over $2 million.
Harrison said the motive for the killing was driven over a dispute involving a "significant amount of money." The New York Post reports Saleh learned Haspil had embezzled $100,000 from Saleh's firm, Adventure Capital. According to the Post, that instead of turning him over to authorities, Saleh set up a repayment plan with Haspil. Sometime after the deal was made, Haspil allegedly decided he didn't want to pay him back the money.
Haspil, Harrison recounted, used a Taser to incapacitate Saleh after the victim's building elevator opened directly into the apartment..
Earlier reports said that the suspect was dressed in a suit, tie, and ninja-style mask, and carrying a bag, had reportedly exchanged words with Saleh in the elevator. Saleh was stunned shortly after he exited the elevator to a floor that led directly into his apartment.
The city Medical Examiner determined Saleh was fatally stabbed in the neck and torso before he was decapitated.
The New York Post adds that Haspil returned to the apartment the following day with an electric saw that was used to cut through Saleh's body, dismembering him and leaving body parts inside plastic bags that were discovered in the apartment. As he was trying to clean up the crime scene, Haspil was reportedly interrupted by Saleh's cousin, who buzzed Saleh's apartment from the building's front door, forcing Haspil to flee the apartment, with the saw still plugged into an outlet.
While Harrison cited the work of a number of units, including Finance Crimes, NBC New York suggests that there was other evidence that allowed police to find Haspilโthe personal identification "confetti" discharged from the stun gun.
Saleh was the founder of Gokada, a motorcycle sharing startup company based in Nigeria. Earlier this year, Nigerian authorities had shut down the operation, citing safety concerns. However, the company then shifted to logistics and delivery.
If convicted, Haspil faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.
In a statement, Gokada called Saleh an "innovator and inspiration" with a belief that "technology could transform lives and improve safety and efficiency."
