The mystery surrounding a headless and dismembered torso found stuffed in a suitcase and floating in the East River has been solved, the NYPD said Thursday.
The victim was identified as Edwin Echevarria, a 65-year-old man from the Lower East Side — and his alleged killer is his 23-year-old roommate, police said.
Christian Millet was charged Wednesday with murder, cops said. Millet was busted when police showed up with a warrant at his Baruch Houses building on Columbia St. near Delancey St.
Echevarria and Millet lived in the same apartment, according to sources. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the fatal confrontation or when and where the victim was killed.
Sources said Echevarria was beaten and stabbed about a dozen times before the body was dismembered.
The body, inside a sleeping bag that was stuffed in the suitcase, was found a week ago when a NY Waterways Ferry captain aboard the Susan B. Anthony Ferry spotted the baggage floating near Governor’s Island.
Ferry personnel, unable to lift the suitcase onto the ferry, called police and the NYPD Harbor Unit took custody of the suitcase and opened it.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.