Personal Assistant to the deceased CEO of Gokada, Tyrese Devon Haspil, 21, has been arrested by the New York Police early Friday for the murder of CEO Fahim Saleh.
Aspiring entrepreneur Tyrese Devon Haspil, was arrested hours after the New York Police Department (NYPD) said it had identified a “person of interest” in the death of the tech entrepreneur who was found decapitated and dismembered in his Manhattan, New York apartment.
Saleh was killed on Monday but his remains were found on Tuesday.
Police also said that 33-year-old Saleh was tased before he was stabbed and dismembered.
The police called the death a homicide, with the cause being multiple stab wounds to the neck and torso.
Haspil, according to media reports in the US and UK, will be charged with second degree murder and other counts.
According to reports, Saleh was probably killed after he found out his assistant had stolen tens of thousands of dollars from him.
Saleh is also said to have set up a plan for Haspil to repay the money he allegedly stole instead of reporting him to authorities.
The New York Post reported that Haspil allegedly “reneged” on the repayment plan. Police were yet to announce the arrest at press time.
Investigators believe the killer returned to Saleh’s apartment on Tuesday to clean up and dismember the tech entrepreneur’s body.
An electric saw that was still plugged in, a vacuum cleaner and cleaning products were found nearby.
Surveillance video on the fateful day shows Saleh around 1:40 p.m. being followed into his apartment elevator by a man wearing a suit, gloves, hat and mask and carrying a briefcase.
Once the elevator gets to the seventh floor, which opens into Saleh’s apartment, he falls to the ground, apparently as a result of an attack.
His remains were found 24 hours later by his sister who had been unsettled after not hearing from him all day.
By the time Saleh was found, his torso had been detached from his head and limbs. They were packed in several large bags, sources said.
Also recovered was an electric saw which may have been used in dismembering him.
Detectives are investigating Saleh’s finances for a possible motive, especially his dealings with Gokada.
In a separate account of the incident on Friday, the Daily Mail of London said Saleh, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, “appeared suspicious when the masked-man fumbled with the elevator, which requires the use of a key fob to operate.”
It added: “As the doors opened to the seventh-floor, words were said to be exchanged between the pair before Saleh reportedly collapsed to the ground as he stepped into his apartment.
“A struggle then ensured between Saleh and the assailant but the elevator doors closed, obscuring the camera’s view of what happened next.
“An autopsy has since determined that his killer incapacitated him with a stun gun before stabbing him multiple times in the chest until he died.”
A law enforcement source said Saleh’s limbs had been ‘severed with surgical precision’, with his arms cut off at his shoulders, and his legs just below the knees.
Describing the murder as ‘professional’, the killer had reportedly kept Saleh’s blood confined to one corner of the room, tracing a near ‘perfect outline’ around his body.
Investigators also found a number of ominous objects nearby, including industrial-sized plastic bags – the kind used by construction contractors to dispose of trash, a myriad of cleaning products and an electric saw that was still plugged into the wall.
There is suspicion that the masked butcher may have been interrupted by Saleh’s sister when she stopped by her brother’s apartment to check in on him on Tuesday, having not seen or heard from him in more than a day.
The killer is believed to have fled the building through a fire escape while his victim’s sibling rode the elevator up, police said.
In addition to the saw still being plugged in, investigators noted that the blood around Saleh’s torso had not yet blackened.
Police sources say they believe the murder was financially motivated, likely the fatal result of a soured business deal.
Investigators are looking into the victim’s business affairs for any possible motives or suspects.
Saleh’s family appealed to the Police to find his ‘evil’ killer, calling the Fahim’s death unimaginable.
“No words or actions to provide any of us comfort except the capture of the person who exhibited nothing short of evil upon our loved one,” the family said in a statement.
They urged the NYPD and other members of law enforcement to “work diligently to get to the bottom of this horrific crime and bring justice for Fahim.
THE NATION
