Police Received Four 911 Calls About Lower East Side Woman's Screams Before Her Murder

Sarah Coit

Early Sunday morning, police found a 23-year-old woman who suffered numerous stab wounds—her head was allegedly nearly decapitated—in her Lower East Side apartment at 63 Clinton Street. Police say that Sarah Coit's boyfriend, Raul Barrera, confessed to the brutal crime, and a person who heard Coit's screams told the Post, "My friend who lives here told me this has been going on for a while. They've been fighting like that for months."

Others in the building claimed the screaming and fighting went on for 20 minutes—a 15-year-old neighbor below said, "She was like, 'Stop! Get off of me!' She was yelling and then she just got quiet. That's when I called 911," while another staying next door said people were yelling at Coit, asking her what apartment she was in—and the police told the NY Times that they received four 911 calls on Sunday morning; the Times reported, "Neighbors said they knew little about the couple. It does not appear that the police had ever been called to their apartment before because of domestic violence."

It seems like Barrera reacted badly to Coit breaking up with him: According to the Post, "He turned himself in to cops at the Ninth Precinct station house, but was transferred to the Seventh Precinct, which had jurisdiction. He allegedly told cops that he and Coit had fought about breaking up, and claimed that it was she who had first grabbed the knife before he wrested it away. A police source said Coit had initiated the split." Barrera was also reportedly covered in Coit's blood.

Coit, who grew up in Greenwich, CT, had been studying marketing and advertising at Hunter College until a year ago. Before moving to the LES, she lived on the Upper East Side, and her old super said, "She was a nice kid. It's a shame what happened. It's sad. She had a future ahead of her." Barrera, a PR professional, is to be arraigned today.

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By Jen Chung in News on April 11, 2011 10:50 AM

Comments [rss]

kittyblingbling

An intelligent girl like that made a bad choice ..i don't even see the attraction..he's fugly.

OvaltineJenkins

13%/65%. She should have read up on those statistics before she hooked up with this animal.

Erin Cahir

"It seems like Barrera reacted badly to Coit breaking up with him"

that is quite the understatement

Guest

hahahahahaha

...shame on you for making me laugh here.

JoeBolton

So what your saying is that there were numerous 911 calls weeks prior to her murder?

ohgodkillmenow

You can't have PRoblems without PR.

JoeBolton

Well, that didn't take long. It's the fault of the police that she was murdered. They weren't there in time to save that young girl. If only they had concentrated on homicides instead of enforcing other P.L. offenses that night. Next time when you call 911 say that there is a gun involved, another brilliant idea. Get more people hurt responding to a false report I always say. I’m just glad I live in a country that never runs out of Monday morning quarter backs. Why should anyone take personal responsibility and be accountable for his or her own actions? Blame the police, it's so convenient. Never mind that the actions of the perpetrator were the acts of a savage who had a history of violence against woman. Never mind that people in the building knew there were problems weeks before her murder and did nothing to help her. Remember Kitty Genovese? It’s called “diffusion of responsibility.”

OvaltineJenkins

I used to enjoy watching The Three Stooges when you hosted the show. Luv ya Officer Joe.

thesporkgirl

the kitty genovese thing is mostly urban legend. she could barely be heard, couldn't be seen, people did call, and her killer was ultimately caught because of the actions of a neighbor in a separate incident.

thinprep

SHE GOT OJ'ED.

Guest

Are you a human being?

Guest

"Are you a human being?"

ask that to the killer instead. you judge several commenters who write sly comments in a heartbeat, and yet you withhold judgment towards a grisly murderer with a violent past.

...hello?

HypocraticOath

I recently taught my cat to use the Internet but I dont know if she signed up for Gothamist.

Inconcievable de Impublishable

PR professional... definitely an oxymoron.

armchair_warrior

I'm sure she was into bad boys. well that learn her!

Guest

What kind of insensitive, misogynist pig are you? Where is the empathy for a human being?

I'm sure the killer was into good girls...that will teach him to go around killing them!!! What a fucking stupid comment you made.

CXB

While Armchair was being a bit "insensitive", his point is flawless:

WOMEN ARE ADDICTED TO DRAMA.

If there is none, most will CREATE it.

Women are RAISED to want to be the princess and have the warrior prince boyfriend who slays the dragon.

THEY WANT DRAMA. (It's even why they rearrange the furniture every 2 years and men don't. It's why women change their hairdos a zillion times more than men do.)

WOMEN LIKE DANGEROUS MEN.

PERIOD.

You can't ignore the tiny fact that most killers in jail were getting marriage proposals all the time.

ASK Chris Brown how much pussy he got AFTER it came out that he beat up Rhianna.

Just like all my married friends say their wedding ring is a pussy magnet.

Women and men are both savage monsters, deformed by scary DNA programming.

I fight my DNA programming. But I seem to be alone in that category.

AlamedaAnnie

Wow.

Guest

"What kind of insensitive, misogynist pig are you? Where is the empathy for a human being?"

you should also say that to the murderer -- it fits perfectly!