There are numerous reports today about the murder of a young woman late last night inside her apartment at 63 Clinton Street.
Around 2:15 a.m., neighbors heard 23-year old Sarah Coit arguing with her boyfriend, Raul Barrara. A short time later, she was found viciously stabbed — almost decapitated. Police and medics responded to the apartment about 2:30 a.m. and rushed Coit to Beth Israel Hospital. She died about an hour later.
Later in the morning, Barrara, 33 years old, turned himself in at the 9th Precinct and was charged with 2nd degree murder, after allegedly confessing. The Daily News reports:
The roars of their fighting echoed from their apartment for about 20 minutes, neighbors said. “I heard them arguing,” said Jason Figueroa, 15, who lives just above the woman’s apartment. “She was arguing with her boyfriend.” Figueroa, who appeared shaken by the inicident, said he could hear Coit, who grew up in Connecticut, being attacked, so he called the police. “She was like ‘Stop, get off of me,'” he said. “And she was yelling and then she just got quiet,” he said, “That’s when I called 9-1-1.”
More witness accounts from the Post:
“She was yelling ‘No, no, stop, stop, don’t hurt me!’ ” said Brianna Andalore, 20, who was staying with a friend in the building. “My friend who lives her told me this has been going on for awhile, they’ve been fighting like that for months… Another witness, Joost Bohner, 33, who is visiting from Holland and was staying at 61 Clinton St., also heard screaming. “I was sleeping in the back bedroom and I heard a lady screaming. I heard her yelling ‘Help me, Help me!’ ” Bohner said. “It went on for quite awhile, at least 20 minutes. She sounded like she was in distress. People from the building were yelling out ‘Where are you? What apartment?’ She never answered them, it was like she was in panic and shock. When she didn’t answer people started calling 911.”
What!? It sounds like all these people didn’t bother to call 911 until about 20 minutes into the fight??? If I were hearing this, I would have been on the phone the second I heard the fight was serious or heard her say anything close to “Stop, get off of me”, etc. Has no one learned ANYTHING from the Kitty Genovese? Never mind that; what happened to just being a good neighbor?? :(
I HOPE HE GETS THE DEATH PENALTY. BUT I’M CHRISTIAN AND I FEEL THIS WAY, SHE IS 2 YEARS OLDER THAN MY YOUNG DAUGHTER, 2 YEARS YOUNGER THAN MY OLDER DAUGHTER AND 1 YEAR YOUNGER THAN MY SON, I CANNOT IMAGINE ONE OF MY CHILDREN ENDING UP DEAD BUT I WOULD WANT JUSTICE BY DEATH FOR THE ATTACKER. GOD FORGIVE ME, OR MAYBE 25 YEARS FOR EACH STAB .