Some details of 24-year-old Sayed Rahman's confession to the murder of Ingrid Rivera at Times Square karaoke club Spotlight Live have emerged. The victim's friend has spoken out about the events of the evening--she, too, was attacked by Rahman--though there seem to be conflicting reports about all of the details.
The way the Daily News tells it, Rivera and Sasha Castillo had been invited to Lil' Kim's party by a member of the rapper's entourage, and after some drinks they presented the guest of honor with flowers. The NY Times paints a different picture, saying Rivera was a fan of the rapper and after learning of the party, she went in hopes of meeting her. As for the flowers, they say "the bouquet never made it to Lil’ Kim. The party was packed, the flowers were cumbersome and, at some point Rivera and a friend handed them to a barback for safekeeping." The bar employee was allegedly Rahman.
Around 2 a.m. Rivera wandered into the men's room and was promptly kicked out of the club by a manager. Castillo claims she attempted to follow her friend but bouncers wouldn't let her leave (possibly because of a dispute outside of the club); she said, "I argued but they wouldn't listen. I tried to call [Rivera] but her cell was off." She also said Rahman told her he would show her how to get Rivera back in--or that Rivera was in a penthouse. She followed Rahman to the roof, where he groped her, so she told him to "F--k off" and ran downstairs.
After Castillo left, Rahman apparently spotted Rivera drunk on the street and then lured her to the club's roof, where she rejected his advances as well. He then allegedly "used a pipe to bash her in the back of the head before jamming her lifeless body into a rooftop electrical room." At this point, Castillo thought her friend had taken a cab home.
Rahman was an immediate suspect since he left work two hours early that night and he was one of few employees with access to the roof area. He was arrested at his parent's house yesterday. Meanwhile, the statements are rolling in, and Reuters notes that Commissioner Kelly promised to take "a very focused look at that club."
While the club hasn't said much more than they were "shocked," Lil’ Kim's publicist said she “mourns the death of Ms. Rivera. She knew nothing of this incident until she heard media reports.”
