Ex-NYPD Officer Charged With Katie Suarez Murder Was Deemed Psychologically Unfit for Marines, Sources Say

New York police charged a former officer, Sayed Mohassib, with second-degree murder on Saturday 7 November over the fatal stabbing of Katie Suarez as she jogged in Brooklyn. The Marines had discharged him after deeming him psychologically unfit for service, police sources told the New York Post.

Suarez, a 28-year-old bank teller, had arranged to meet her parents during her run along the waterfront on 30 October. Her father found her on the path when she did not arrive as planned. Police described at least two stab wounds to her neck. Her mother, Yasira Suarez, confirmed that she died of her injuries days later.

Mohassib pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon on Saturday night. He was ordered held without bail and is due back in court on Tuesday 10 November.

Before the Katie Suarez Case, Mohassib Tried To Rejoin the NYPD

Mohassib, 27, worked as a public school aide before joining the NYPD in 2022. After his military discharge, Mohassib sought reinstatement with the NYPD in January 2023, weeks after resigning from the force in December 2022. The department turned him down, and he returned to the city's schools.

PS 200, where Mohassib worked, is three blocks from the waterfront promenade overlooking Gravesend Bay. When he returned to work days after the stabbing, colleagues heard him speaking incoherently. They contacted police, though their reports did not lead to his arrest.

The New York City Department of Education confirmed it had suspended Mohassib and would seek to terminate his employment pending the outcome of the case.

The Search for Evidence Along Suarez's Route

Video of Mohassib leaving the greenway around the time of the attack led officers to his home in Bensonhurst, police sources told the Post. During questioning at the 62nd Precinct, Mohassib claimed he had blacked out and woken covered in blood with a knife. He said he had thrown it in the rubbish. Court documents state that he denied stabbing anyone.

Police had little surveillance footage from that stretch near the Belt Parkway. They checked number plate data to identify drivers who had passed nearby and sought dashcam recordings from ride-hailing vehicles in the area that night. Investigators also wanted to hear from anyone who had noticed anything unusual along the path in the weeks before Suarez was attacked.

Suarez still had her phone and jewellery when she was found. Detectives swabbed the phone for DNA and took clippings from her fingernails to look for evidence of a struggle, a law enforcement source said.

Suarez and Mohassib had attended Brooklyn College at the same time, though it was unclear whether they knew one another. Detectives had yet to establish a motive.

A Vigil for Suarez

'Katie did not deserve something like this,' said Bishop Erick Salgado, who organised a vigil for her.

In 2016, Phil Vetrano found his daughter Karina dead in Spring Creek Park, hours after she went for a run in Howard Beach. He offered to speak to Suarez's family. 'If you need someone to talk to, you can contact me. I am probably the only person who can honestly say I know what you're going through.'