(NYPD)

       A vigil is being held in honour of a woman who was followed into her New York City apartment and stabbed to death in one of the latest attacks against people of Asian descent.

       Mourners gathered in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighbourhood on Monday morning to pay tribute to Christina Yuna Lee, a 35-year-old Korean-American creative producer.

       Lee was killed early Sunday after chilling surveillance video showed a man, identified as 25-year-old Assamad Nash, following her into her building on Chrystie Street.

       She was later found dead in her bathtub “bleeding from multiple wounds to the body” after a neighbour heard her screams and called 911.

       Police said Mr Nash was discovered hiding under a bed in the apartment and was arrested. He is believed to have targeted Lee, who reportedly hailed from New Jersey, at random.

       The murder sparked outcry across the city, marking one of the latest attacks against people of Asian descent.

       Recommended Chilling video shows Asian woman being followed into her NYC apartment moments before she was stabbed to death

       Show latest update 1644860743 Suspect charged with murder of Christina Yuna Lee

       Assamad Nash has now been charged with the murder of Lee, more than 24 hours after he was arrested on the scene of the grisly crime.

       The 25-year-old, who has been arrested multiple times over the last year, was charged with murder and burglary on Monday morning, according to the New York Post.

       He is due to be arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court later on Monday.

       The Independent has reached out to the NYPD for further details.

       Rachel Sharp 14 February 2022 17:45

       1644858731 ‘A wonderful soul’: Landlord pays tribute to victim

       The landlord of the victim of Sunday’s brutal attack has paid tribute to her “wonderful soul” as he condemned the way her accused killer “mercilessly stalked” her into her apartment.

       Brian Chin, who owns the sixth-floor apartment in Chinatown where Lee was stabbed to death, told NBC New York that the 35-year-old was a “wonderful person”.

       “She was a wonderful soul, a wonderful person. She had the entire rest of her life ahead of her,” he said.

       Mr Chin described how the suspect followed Lee into the apartment block without her realising.

       “She opened the door and he just slipped in right behind her. She never even knew he was there,” he said.

       “She walked up six flights of stairs and this man mercilessly stalked her.”

       Mr Chin called on New York officials to take action to stop others falling victim to “avoidable” attacks.

       “This is about the community and our elected officials need to do something much different because this is all avoidable,” he said.

       Rachel Sharp 14 February 2022 17:12

       1644857454 Who is Christina Yuna Lee?

       Lee, 35, has been described as a New Jersey native who worked as a creative director at digital music platform Splice.

       The owner of the building where she was killed told the New York Post she moved in less than a year ago and described her as “such a sweet girl”.

       Lee’s LinkedIn page showed she graduated from Rutgers University, where she studied art history.

       (LinkedIn via CBS2)

       Megan Sheets 14 February 2022 16:50

       1644856214 Local leaders react to stabbing

       Several local leaders have spoken out to share their horror at Lee’s murder, which is widely regarded as a hate crime.

       Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement: “We stand with our Asian community today.

       “While the suspect who committed this heinous act is now in custody, the conditions that created him remain. The mission of this administration is clear: We won’t let this violence go unchecked.”

       Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the murder on Twitter, saying she was “mourning this tragic & heartbreaking loss of life”.

       We have seen far too many acts of violence against AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] New Yorkers in recent months. We must make sure every community is safe in our state,” she wrote.

       “I join New Yorkers standing together in support of our AAPI friends & neighbors.”

       Leaders of Asian American descent also gathered on Sunday with Manhattan borough president Mark Levine.

       “We are demanding action. Our broken mental health system must be fixed. We have to address the real fear in Chinatown and beyond,” Mr Levine tweeted.

       State Assemblywoman Yuk-Line Niou called the killing “so gruesome and so horrible and so cruel”.

       Megan Sheets 14 February 2022 16:30

       1644855054 Suspect has violent criminal record

       Assamad Nash, the man arrested for Lee’s murder, was known to law enforcement well before the killing, police say.

       His record includes at least six arrests since May of 2021, including one for allegedly punching a senior citizen during an argument.

       Mr Nash’s most recent arrest was on 6 January 2022, when he was accused of damaging 27 MetroCard machines across the city. That case is still pending, according to ABC7.

       He is slated to be charged with Lee’s murder on Monday and is currently being held at the NYPD’s 5th precinct.

       Megan Sheets 14 February 2022 16:10

       1644853950 What we know about the stabbing

       Christina Yuna Lee was found stabbed to death in her Chinatown apartment before 5am on Sunday after surveillance video showed a man following her into her building.

       The suspect, Assamad Nash, was discovered hiding under a bed in the home after he allegedly tried and failed to escape.

       The Independent’s Stuti Mishra explains everything we know about the killing so far:

       Chilling police video shows Asian woman stabbed to death in NYC While the police have refrained from calling the incident a hate crime, the tragic murder is one of the latest incidents of attacks against Asians in New York City

       Megan Sheets 14 February 2022 15:52