A military veteran Hassam Malik is charged with killing 28-year-old Betty Williams in his East Harlem apartment. He has reportedly said that he paid her to have sex and claims that she attacked him first. Daily News reports that prosecutors do not agree with his self-defense claim, due to forensic evidence.
The police have apparently told various tabloids that Betty had a history of prostitution. CBS News here emphasizes her drug arrests and suggests the murder is a drug transaction gone wrong. Daily News adds that “Malik’s neighbors said he often boasted of bringing women to hotels and stealing their credit cards.”
Betty’s body was found in a suitcase near Rao’s restaurant. AOL News points out that Betty was found “not far from where another body was found in a suitcase” in 2003. After reading the NY Times coverage from 2003, we’re wondering if there’s a connection or a pattern.
PONY is here! 