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As the victim’s family speaks out on the “gruesome, horrific murder,” his nephew claims his uncle was on the phone when it happened and the person on the other line heard signs of a struggle — as the roommate allegedly admits to stomping his head and stabbing him with a “makeshift ice pick.”
A 23-year-old man who allegedly told authorities he had an “insane urge to kill” has been charged with the grisly murder of his 65-year-old roommate — a man who, by family accounts, was only trying to be a “father figure” to his apparent killer.
On Thursday, police in New York charged Christian Millet, 23, with the second-degree murder of Edwin Echevarria, 65, after the latter’s torso was found wrapped in a sleeping bag inside a suitcase discovered in the East River earlier this month.
He was also charged with concealment of a human corpse and is being held without bail.
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According to ABC NY, citing law enforcement, Millet confessed to knocking his roommate to the ground following an argument over food, before stomping on his head. Per police, he then said he used what’s been described as a “makeshift ice pick” to stab him 12 to 13 times, before dismembering him in a bathtub. Millet allegedly placed some of his remains — including his torso — in a sleeping bag, which was then stuffed into a suitcase.
It’s remains unclear what happened to the rest of the victim’s body. Echevarria was last seen on February 2, while the suitcase was discovered on February 5; Millet was taken into custody Wednesday, February 12.
During his arraignment on Thursday, per the New York Times, prosecutors claimed Millet told police he felt “an insane urge to kill” and believed the murder “makes it easier to kill in the future.”
Facebook/Cape May Co. Jail/Wapello Co. Jail
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Speaking with Gothamist, the victim’s daughter, Jennifer Matthews, said the suspect was related to Echevarria’s ex-girlfriend. She said he was only trying to help the young man out by giving him a place to live — and claimed other relatives told her Millet had been abusive to her father.
“Last time when [Millet] left, I told my dad not to let him back in,” she told the outlet. “I didn’t find out until my dad was missing that he had moved back in with my father.”
“He was a very caring, loving, funny person,” she added of her dad. “He always loved helping people, and that’s what he was trying to do for his ex-girlfriend’s grandson — trying to be a positive father figure to him.”‘
Riverside Police Department
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The victim’s nephew, Eric Maldonado, spoke with the New York Post and claimed his uncle was actually on the phone with someone when he was attacked.
“He was talking to his friend on the phone and his friend heard the argument — [then] he heard some loud banging, then grunting and moaning,” claimed Maldonado.
“My uncle felt sorry for him. He said he saw the kid grow up and that he had problems with his mother and she threw him out,” he added. “He was killed by someone he trusted. My brother kept telling him, get him out! Get him out! My brother tried to get him out. But my uncle said he felt bad for the kid and he kept defending him.”
The victim’s sister, meanwhile, told the Times she was “still coming to terms with this gruesome, horrific murder.”
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
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