Suspect in fatal stabbing of NYC jogger indicted for murder: DA
The man accused of stabbing a woman to death while she was out jogging in New York City has been indicted for murder, officials said Tuesday.
Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck while jogging along the Brooklyn waterfront on Oct. 30, police said. She died several days later.
Sayed Mohassib, 27, was arrested over a week after the attack and charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death, police said.
A Brooklyn grand jury formally indicted him for second-degree murder on Tuesday, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
"Katie Suarez was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, brutally taken from her loved ones in a senseless act of violence," Gonzalez said in a statement. "Today's indictment marks an important step toward securing justice and I commend the NYPD for its swift and thorough investigation. We will vigorously prosecute this case to seek the full accountability that justice demands."
Mohassib will be arraigned on the indictment at a later date, the district attorney said.
The suspect was arrested on Saturday. The complaint alleged that surveillance footage captured him in the area of the Belt Parkway-adjacent bike path the night of the attack.
Mohassib allegedly told NYPD detectives that he went to the bike path with a knife that day because he believed "people were going to come and kill his family," according to the complaint.
He allegedly said he sat on a bench and "became covered in blood," and denied stabbing anyone, according to the complaint.
Surveillance footage captured him returning home and throwing items in a garbage chute while wearing only his underwear, according to the complaint. He allegedly told detectives that upon returning home, he "got rid of the bloody clothing" and the knife, according to the complaint.
Mohassib worked as a teachers aide at a Brooklyn public elementary school located near the crime scene, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News. New York City school officials said that he has been terminated.
New York City Public Schools said in a statement that it "maintains a robust background and review process for employment in schools" and is "conducting a review to explore any areas where this can be strengthened and ensure no stone is left unturned when it comes to student safety."
Mohassib briefly worked for the NYPD before being removed for psychological reasons, the source said. He was later discharged from the Marines for mental health issues and was unsuccessful in an attempt to rejoin the NYPD, according to the source.
His mother, Fatma Mohassib, told ABC New York station WABC that her son had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, with his longest stay lasting two months. She said she shares in the grief of Suarez's family.
"My heart goes deep to the mother and the father. Just, we both lost, you lost your daughter, I lost my son," Fatma Mohassib told the station following his arrest.
ABC News has reached out to Mohassib's attorney for comment.
