Murder of Imette St. Guillen

Imette Carmella St. Guillen (March 2, 1981 - February 25, 2006) was a Venezuelan American Boston graduate student and murder victim. She was a student studying criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City at the time of her death.

Life

St. Guillen was born March 2, 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up and was educated in the Mission Hill section. In her adolescent years she lived with her mother, Maureen and her sister, Alejandra, and had attended the Farragut School. She attended Boston Latin School before going on to college. Both she, and her sister, Alejandra, were recipients of the Carol DiMaiti Stuart Foundation scholarship, which was set up by her family after DiMaiti was murdered by Charles Stuart. St. Guillen was influenced by her deceased father, Seimundo, to get her college degree in criminal justice; she graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University, and was well into the process of completing her last year in graduate school for her master's degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice when she was murdered.

Boston Latin School

Murder

Preceding her murder, St. Guillen had just returned from a trip to Florida. On the night of her arrival in New York City, February 25, 2006, St. Guillen had continued to celebrate her birthday with a long-time female friend, first by going to the Pioneer Bar. St. Guillen, however, wanted to stay out longer than her friend, so she parted ways with her and St. Guillen eventually walked a few blocks west to another bar by herself. St. Guillen's friend had later phoned her on her cell phone but St. Guillen did not reveal her whereabouts.

St. Guillen then went unaccounted for during a time-period lasting for approximately 17 hours before an anonymous phone call was received from one of the payphones outside of the Lindenwood Diner in Lindenwood, Queens, which had already been connected to the arrest of John A. Gotti. The call reported a body being found. St. Guillen was found in an area off of the Belt Parkway, known as Fountain Avenue. She was found nude, having been raped, tortured and murdered. She was also found with tape strips wrapped around her head, her hair cut, and a sock stuffed in her mouth. The coroner's initial report indicated that she had been either 'gang raped' or 'violated' with objects. The cause of death was found to asphyxiation due to strangulation. Her sister had to identify St. Guillen, supposedly from forensic photographs.

It was these aspects of the crime that attracted the national attention of the news media. At least one news source dubbed the murderer by the term, "mummy maniac".

Funeral

St. Guillen's funeral was held at the Gormley Funeral Home on Saturday, March 4, 2006 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. It was attended by her mother, sister, stepfather, Frank Holbrook, and stepbrother, Luke Holbrook. Her body was later cremated as per her family's wishes.

Rewards

Within just a few days, a reward 'memorandum' was quickly created and posted on John Jay College's website. Other, more official reward posters were put up in the SoHo neighborhood around Spring and Lafayette streets, where she was last seen alive, offering a $42,000 reward.

The Falls bar

It was later learned that St. Guillen was last seen alive with one of the two employed bouncers who had escorted her from The Falls, a bar that was owned by the Dorrian family. The manager of the bar, Daniel Dorrian, gave several conflicting reports to the New York City Police Department about the presence of St. Guillen in the bar on the night of her murder. After a few days, Dorrian finally admitted that St. Guillen had been in the bar but continued to lie about who was working, how she left, and whether he had been on duty that night. Michael Dorrian, the owner, claims that his family is not to blame.

Darryl Littlejohn

Darryl Littlejohn, age 41, a bouncer at The Falls where St. Guillen was seen the night she was murdered, was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment. DNA that was proven to be Littlejohn's, most likely caused from a nosebleed, was found on the plastic ties that were used to bind St. Guillen's hands. Littlejohn was asked to escort St. Guillen out of The Falls just before closing, and was later seen talking to St. Guillen in front of the bar before her disappearance. His basement apartment and vehicles were searched by Police and CSI investigators. Carpet fibers that were found in Littlejohn's home were a match to fibers found stuck to the tape that St. Guillen's face was wrapped with. Additional evidence that Littlejohn was in the area at the time, date, and place where St. Guillen was killed and dumped had been found using cell phone tower records. Littlejohn's cellphone "indicated movement from his home to near the spot in Brooklyn where Ms. St. Guillen's body was found."

Littlejohn, an ex-convict, had spent more than 12 years in prison for drug possession and robbery charges. He was on parole at the time of his employment at The Falls, and by working at the bar, violated his parole agreement which had a curfew of 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Some blame was placed on his parole officer. He is currently being held in Rikers Island. He was initially held by authorities because of the parole violation, but was later charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and then held for the murder of St. Guillen.

Littlejohn has since been linked to the abduction attempt of a Queens woman on October 19, 2005. The woman was abducted off of the street and held by Littlejohn in his van. She managed to escape but left behind DNA which later had been identified as hers. The abduction attempt was linked to St. Guillen's case when the woman saw the suspected van on the TV news reports concerning St. Guillen.

As of December 12, 2007, articles in the New York Post, the New York Daily News and WCBSTV.COM have reported that Littlejohn's lawyer, Joyce David, is reporting a "wide-ranging conspiracy" and David further said that "Darryl Littlejohn is being framed to protect members of a rich and powerful family who have the connections and the motive to see that he gets convicted of killing St. Guillen,". Also claimed in the 36-page legal brief filed by David was that Rudy Giuliani was "named in the conspiracy", saying that the "Dorrians are part of Giuliani's family."

It was also reported that detectives working on the murder case have obtained a court order to "swab the alleged killer's elderly mother and aunt for DNA"; as per Joyce David, they had been contacted by investigators seeking genetic material.

Pre-trial

The pre-trial hearing for the murder of St. Guillen was held on September 11, 2007.

Littlejohn also awaits trial on another abduction case from 2005. That trial will be held before Littlejohn's murder trial for St. Guillen, raising concerns that the murder case is not strong enough. The quality of evidence has been called into question as the reasoning for the delay of the murder trial. However the prosecution has stated that they are ready to proceed with the trial.

The judge in charge of the case wants the murder trial held as early as January of 2008, and had previously set another pre-trial hearing for October 11, 2007.

The judge in charge of the case, Judge Cheryl Chambers, has been appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to the New York State's Appellate Division. Both the defense and the prosecution are scheduled to discuss the case on Tuesday. The Court spokesman, David Bookstaver, said that the case would be reassigned to another judge.

Aftermath

It was announced on May 12, 2006, that St. Guillen's family is suing the Dorrian family, as well as state and federal authorities. The St. Guillen's are represented in this civil action by attorney, Joseph Tacopina. This legal step is in reaction to The Falls bar's hiring of a "career" felon, the lack of background checks for bouncers, and the apparent inaction of the New York State Liquor Authority in monitoring bouncers and their inaction in quickly closing this establishment upon the initial news reports.

The Dorrian family had responded by calling the claim "ridiculous" and claiming St. Guillen's mother is "[...] doing this for the press."

Anti-Bar Demonstration

Within days after the revelation of the alleged lying of Dorrian in St. Guillen's disappearance, Jeff Ragsdale, a New York City writer, organized through Craigslist, a group of people to start a demonstration in front of The Falls bar. Their aim was to inform passers-by and others of St. Guillen's murder by conversations, using flyers and other handouts, and to bring pressure on the New York State Liquor Authority to have this bar closed and its liquor license permanently revoked. The demonstrations lasted a few months, and around June of 2006, the fruit of their labors became evident when The Falls bar lost its liquor license. However, Dorrian has other establishments that are still doing business in New York City and in New Jersey.

The Pioneer Bar

The Pioneer Bar, the first bar which was associated with the disappearance of St. Guillen, was and is blameless in this murder case. However, this bar had suffered negative publicity affecting their business. This was due to its business facade being continually shown on network television and other media outlets during the initial phase of St. Guillen's murder, and having been wrongly associated with same. The bar has changed its name to the 'R' Bar and is still doing business.

Legacy

A "Garden of Hope" is being planned in St. Guillen's neighborhood of Mission Hill. The garden will honor St. Guillen and put end to the dispute over what to do with the land. It will be called "Imette's Garden" and it is in the process of being designed by the Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design, a non-profit group. Nancy Schon, the sculptor of Boston Public Garden's Make Way for Ducklings, has agreed to design a butterfly in St. Guillen's honor.

In Boston, the "11th Annual Mothers' Walk for Peace" was held on Sunday, May 13, 2007 in which the St. Guillen family and many others in "Team Imette" participated. The event had the largest turnout of its history.

Personal impact

St. Guillen's ex boyfriend had joined the New York Police Department citing her murder as one of the solidifying reasons he joined. Along with the efforts of her ex-boyfriend, St. Guillen's family has also alluded to the start of a foundation called the "Spirit of Imette Foundation" which would support organizations that help people, as St. Guillen had planned to do.

Scholarships

A scholarship in St. Guillen's name was established by the Alpha Phi Sigma chapter of John Jay College. In June, 2006, a diploma was awarded posthumously to St. Guillen on behalf of her mother and sister, her name is the very last name mentioned in the Graduation Class program book of John Jay. A fund is also being established in St. Guillen's honor at George Washington University by the Organization of Latino American Students (O.L.A.S).

Fundraiser

On September 16, 2006, a fundraiser was held in Boston, Massachusetts in honor of St. Guillen titled "A Night for Imette" to raise money for a scholarship in her name at her former high school, Boston Latin. The fundraiser featured keynote speakers such as St. Guillen's mother Maureen, her sister Alejandra, her stepfather Frank Holbrook, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston, and the Principal of Boston Latin.

Law

Main article: New York City Nightlife Legislation

On March 14, 2007, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino signed “Imette’s Law” - a New York legislation that will make it mandatory for nightclub and bar owners to conduct criminal background checks on bouncers and to set up security video cameras outside the establishment.

Song, television and media

New York band Interpol wrote a song titled Pioneer to the Falls, which is the first track on their third album (Our Love to Admire) and which is believed to be referencing St. Guillen's murder. The title of the song most likely refers to the journey of St. Guillen from the Pioneer bar to the Falls bar. Paul Banks, Interpol's singer and guitarist said: "It’s a very personal song, even though it’s about someone I’ve never met before. It’s pretty obvious who it is..."

Reporter Linda Schmidt was mentioned in a Daily News article about training with Newark police, and appearing on the Tyra Banks Show to discuss crimes, with the mention of St. Guillen.

A Scottish newspaper reported a crime novel written by novelist Linda Fairstein, which is based on St. Guillen's murder. The title of the book is "Killer Heat".

New York City Nightlife legislation

Other related murders during 2006

In July of 2006, another murder involving a student occurred with the rape-murder of Jennifer Moore. Moore, who was considerably younger than St. Guillen (18-years-old), went out to enjoy New York City nightlife with a friend. Later on, when she and her friend went back to their vehicle, they found that the car was towed and taken to a tow lot off of the West Side Highway. Moore, who became frightened, tried to get a ride to her New Jersey home and was later picked up, walking uptown, by an ex-convict with his teenage accomplice and taken to a New Jersey hotel where she was later found in a trash bag.

With the further death of Chanel Petro-Nixon, columnist Andrea Peyser, quoted below in the New York Post, had this to say, linking the murders of St. Guillen, Jennifer Moore and Chanel Petro-Nixon, together:

"It's open season on young girls. An 18-year-old was found murdered this week in Jersey, allegedly by a man who took her from Manhattan after a night of underage clubbing. In February, graduate student Imette St. Guillen was taken from a SoHo bar and killed, allegedly by the bouncer.

But the case of Chanel Petro-Nixon stands out for three reasons: She went missing in broad daylight, blocks from her house -- not at night, coming out of a bar."

Initial 3-Point Plan

On August 8, 2006, a 3-Point plan was proposed by Council Speaker Christine Quinn in her memorandum. She later followed up with another memorandum calling for additional safety and mention of an upcoming Summit Meeting. The points mentioned in the memorandum included:

• 1. Curbing underage drinking

• 2. Improving club safety

• 3. Increasing street and transportation safety

Nightlife Summit and other hearings

In a New York Post Monday, August 28, 2006 article on page 23 titled, "Bar-probe Pol toasts The Post" written by Kenneth Lovett, mention was made of Senator Nicholas Spano scheduling a hearing on September 7 on existing liquor laws and how they were being enforced. Mention was made of Jennifer Moore and St. Guillen in the article.

In another Post article, "Clubs Seek Wild West Side 'Sheriff'", written by Stephanie Gaskell in the September 29, 2006 edition of the New York Post, and part of the continuing Post series "Wasteland", on Thursday, September 28, 2006, a "Nightlife Summit" was held in St. Guillen's alma mater, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Among the attendees were Police Commissioner Ray Kelly; John Feinblatt, who is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's criminal-justice coordinator; David Rabin, president of the New York Nightlife Association and co-owner of Lotus; Nightlife Association founder, Andrew Raseij; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn who organized the summit, and various club owners among others. To quote the entire article:

"Participants in yesterday's first ever "nightlife summit" agreed that police must help nightclub owners keep the peace and that there must be better regulation of the $10 billion-a-year industry -- possibly by creating a new city office dedicated to the job.

Club owners, NYPD officials, local lawmakers and the State Liquor Authority chairman huddled at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice -- the alma mater of 24-year-old grad student Imette St. Guillen, who was killed after a late night of partying at a SoHo bar in March.

Club owners want the police to provide a "paid-detail" -- allowing bars to hire off-duty cops to patrol the area outside their bars.

But Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is against the idea because he says it's illegal and will breed corruption between cops and bar owners.

"It violates the law," said John Feinblatt, Mayor Bloomberg's criminal-justice coordinator.

At yesterday's summit, club owners said they were willing to accept any kind of help from the city's Finest.

"It doesn't have to be paid detail," said David Rabin, president of the New York Nightlife Association and co-owner of Lotus.

"Call it what you want. Cooperative policing. It doesn't matter."

"We need to be able to call the police without fear that it will result (in) a disorderly-premise ticket," Rabin said, asking that most of these tickets are later dismissed in court.

Club owners also said they want Bloomberg to create an "Office of Nightclub Affairs," similar to the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, to work as a liaison between the industry and government.

"The nightlife industry brings in about $10 billion a year, twice that of the film industry," said Andrew Raseij, founder of the New York Nightlife Association and former owner of Irving Plaza.

"But there is a misunderstanding of its value."

Approximately 65 million people visit New York City bars and clubs each year.

"Nightlife is one of the most important faces of New York to the world and I think it's crucial that we work with our city government, as opposed to feeling that we're against our city government all the time, to ensure that nightlife is safe and still fun," Rabin said.

Both sides also agreed that more needs to be done to curb underage drinking, including cracking down on fake IDs and possibly raising the age limit to enter a bar or club from 16 to 18 or 21.

There was a discussion about creating a campaign to remind clubgoers to keep quiet when leaving bars and to call the police if there is a safety issue. Some bar owners also complained that the smoking ban made it more difficult to keep the streets quiet at night. While no decisions were made at the summit, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who organized the summit, said she was encouraged.

"I know that we can make nightlife safer in the city of New York."

"We are not interested in putting the nightlife industry out of business in the city.

"In fact, when I met with Imette St. Guillen's mother, she made a point of the fact that that is not what she wants."

Rabin agreed, saying he welcomed more scrutiny from the city and the NYPD.

"Fair scrutiny is always appreciated," he said.

On Wednesday, the council introduced four pieces of legislation to help combat these problems -- including requiring ID scanners, security cameras and independent monitors to oversee problem establishments.

Last month, the council passed "Imette's Law," which requires tougher background checks for bouncers. Bouncer Dar(r)yl (misspelling SIC) Littlejohn -- a convicted felon -- is accused of murdering St. Guillen."

List point captions in the above article were as follows:

• Create a city Office of Nightlife Affairs.
• Find ways to get more cops to patrol outside clubs and bars.
• Combat underage drinking and the use of fake IDs.
• Foster better relationship among club owners, the NYPD and the State Liquor Authority
• Raise age limit for admittance into a club or bar from 16 to 18 or 21.
• Develop a public-awareness campaign urging patrons to be safe at night.
• Examine zoning laws to help neighborhoods that are flooded with clubs and bars.

Post-Nightlife Summit: Underage Drinking - an 'unrelated' legacy

Although St. Guillen was a young woman of legal drinking age (24-years-old), the further, related murder of even younger Jennifer Moore who was 18, brought more focus to nightlife. The issues brought to the forefront of public thinking were underage drinking and fake identification cards being obtained by teenagers illegally to obtain access to bars. The following was reported in a small article in the Friday, December 29, 2006 edition of the New York Daily News, written by Lisa L. Colangelo, titled "Close clubs to under-18s, sez Quinn":

"NIGHT CLUBS should crack down on underage drinkers and creeps who prey on clubgoers by barring anyone under 18 from entering their doors and using cameras to beef up security, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said yesterday. But she stopped short of saying teen clubbers caught using fake IDs should be stripped of their driving privileges. "It's an idea," Quinn said after releasing a report of recommendations from the Council's Nightlife Summit held in September. "I'm sure that will get fleshed out. Today I'm supporting the recommendations that are in this report, and that is not in this report." Quinn said Council members want to put together legislation to target sellers of fake IDs. The summit between police, Council members and club owners was called after several young people were murdered after spending time in a club. A lawyer representing the family of Imette St. Guillen, a young woman kidnapped, raped and murdered after drinking in the early-morning hours at a SoHo bar, said they were encouraged by the recommendations. "They understand that what makes New York City unique is the fact that it has such a fantastic nightlife," said Rosemary Arnold. Robert Bookman, a lawyer for the nightlife association, said his group doesn't agree with all parts of the report but is glad club owners are meeting with lawmakers and police officials."

New guideline book including a 58-point Security Plan

A new guideline booklet "NYPD and Nightlife Association Announce “Best Practices”" was unveiled on Thursday, October 18, 2007. This voluntary rule book included a 58-point security plan drafted in part by the New York Nightlife Association, was further recommended by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Security measures included cameras outside of nightclub bathrooms, a trained security guard for every 75 patrons and weapons searches for everyone, including celebrities entering the clubs. Mention was made in the news reports of Imette St. Guillen and Jennifer Moore.

To quote the Daily News article mentioning David Rubin:

"It used to be that if five huge, drunk guys were denied entry to your club, and we called police, the cops would clean up the situation, but the club would still get a ticket for disorderly presence," Rubin said.

A supervisor will now decide whether to issue such a summons, and a single incident won't result in a ticket, Kelly said. Disorderly summonses can cost a club its state liquor license or its city cabaret license. "Now, there is no penalty for calling the police," said Rubin.

On November 14, 2007 it was reported that "Local bar staff are re-evaluating their operating procedure..." in regards to City Council and Police recommendations.

Other City and State Nightlife legislations

Other cities are addressing the issue of Nightlife Legislation. Some cities may be using similar methods as New York City, but in other cities, different legislation is being offered.

In contrast to the discussion of New York City Nightlife Legislation, Michael Nutter, who is running for the political office of Mayor of Philadelphia, is proposing different legislation, with consequences which were heavily criticized by reporter Michael Washburn. Nutter is proposing a tax incentive to businesses who allow "formerly imprisoned felons" to re-enter the workplace.

On October 18, Nutter addressed the City Council on Re-Entry Legislation. In his testimony, which is on his "Michael Nutter for Mayor" website: , he had the following to report:

Philadelphia: “This afternoon Democratic Mayoral nominee Michael Nutter testified before the Finance Committee of Philadelphia City Council in support of the Philadelphia Re-Entry Employment Program Bill.

The Philadelphia Re-Entry Employment Program, or PREP, provides a $10,000 tax credit for businesses to hire ex-offenders helping reintegrate them into the workforce and providing renewed chances for those with little or no options.

Nutter raised the issue of re-entry during the primary campaign and drafted legislation that Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. introduced to Philadelphia City Council. The Bill was voted out of committee unanimously and will receive a first reading at the next full session of Council.

This is an issue that couldn't wait until a new Mayor takes office and so I wrote the legislation to attempt to deal with it as soon as possible, said Nutter. However I'm no longer a member of City Council and so my good friend and former colleague Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. joined in partnership with me to bring this legislation to the attention of City Council.

Washburn started his article off with a brief discussion of the St. Guillen murder case, then providing more criticisms, he stated thus:

So, how does this case relate to Philadelphia? Michael Nutter is flouting the recommendations of public safety advocates and new laws inspired by St. Guillen's murder and cases like it. Under Mayor Nutter, the municipal government will pursue the Philadelphia Re-entry Employment Program, or PREP, which provides a $10,000 tax incentive to businesses that hire formerly imprisoned felons, thereby "providing renewed life chances for those with little or no options," in the words of a Nutter for Mayor press release. Like other liberal policies, this one is a wolf in the sheep's clothing known as "compassion." If elected, Nutter will surely get innocent people killed, but at least his heart will be in the right place.

The danger posed by hiring those with demonstrated proclivities to violence and other pathologies is visible all around us. It is a danger that cuts across professions and institutions. Take a look at a 2006 case in Grapevine, Texas, in which police nailed the manager of a pizza parlor after undercover officers had received a tip that he was using the business as a drug market. Officers arresting the 31-year-old man last September found hundreds of Ecstasy tablets and $1,100, and the subsequent charges suggest that he was supplying drugs to teens. (Spokespersons for the scandalized pizza chain said it was too much work to drug-test all job applicants.)

The writer went on to further discuss what he considered the 'dangers' of hiring those individuals, which his article said, "demonstrated proclivities to violence and other pathologies". Washburn then provided further examples of belated background checks involving a teacher and a teacher's aide. He also mentioned a Colorado case where someone was paid to coach children and the trainer had "touched her inappropriately". Washburn then provided further examples on the following link titled "Background Screening Articles: The article ended with mentioning the loss of business and life if these steps were not taken.

In the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, the above-mentioned 58-point plan is being considered. Again, mention was made of St. Guillen and Moore in the article.

In more club-related incidents occurring in January of 2008, a man was killed and five other people were stabbed outside of a Times Square club named Spotlight Live after an incident in the coat check room in which those involved were ejected from the club. Mention again was made of St. Guillen and Moore in the article.

Citations

• Peyser, Andrea (July 29, 2006), "It's open season on young gals", New York Post {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

• Lovett, Kenneth (August 28, 2006), "Bar-probe Pol toasts The Post", New York Post, p. 23 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

• Gaskell, Stephanie (September 29, 2006), "Clubs seek Wild West Side 'Sheriff'", New York Post, p. 11 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

• Gaskell, Stephanie (December 29, 2006), "Close clubs to under-18s, sez Quinn", New York Daily News, p. 36 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

See also

• Dorrian's Red Hand Restaurant
• Jennifer Levin
• Jennifer Moore
• Ramona Moore
• Chanel Petro-Nixon
• Natalee Holloway

External links

• Justice for Imette
• Guestbook for Imette St. Guillen by Gormley Funeral Home and sponsored by The Boston Globe
• Imette St. Guillen's Murder case map
• Imette St. Guillen Case at America's Most Wanted
• Imette St. Guillen: I blame society & not killers: Imette St. Guillen wrote about murder 15 days before she died
• 'From Whispers to Roars' website forum index

Scholarships

• The Imette C. Saint-Guillen Scholarship Fund

Nightlife legislation

• "Boston City Council Looks At "Imette's Law"". Hub Politics.
• "Council Bills Make Nightclubs Safer". Queens Gazette. March 7, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• McPhee, Michele (Thursday, March 15, 2007). "Menino signs 'Imette's Law' requiring background checks for bar bouncers". Boston Herald. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Dreilinger, Danielle. "Mass. lawmakers seek to copy Boston bouncer law: State would follow in Boston's footsteps". BostonNOW.
• Wedge, Dave (Wednesday, May 30, 2007). "St. Guillen's mom urges statewide bouncer bill". Boston Herald. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)