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A New York man has been charged with murder after his 65-year-old roommate’s torso was discovered in a suitcase floating in the East River earlier this month.
On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 5, the NYPD Harbor Unit made a grisly discovery when it fished a suitcase out of the East River near Governor’s Island and discovered a human torso inside, the NYPD said in an emailed statement to PEOPLE.
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The remains were identified as those of Edwin Echevarria, 65, police said. Detectives then brought in Echevarria’s roommate, Christian Millet, 23, for questioning.
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 9 p.m., Millet, who lived with Echevarria on Columbia Street on the Lower East Side, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, police said in the statement.
Millet allegedly told police that he killed Echevarria after pushing him to the ground and stomping on his head, a law enforcement official told The New York Times.
He allegedly said he cut the man’s body up and stuffed the remains in the suitcase, police said, according to The New York Times. No other body parts besides the torso have been found, however.
The suitcase was first spotted floating in the water by the captain of NY Waterway’s Susan B. Anthony ferry boat, per the Times. The captain then called the police.
When officers opened up the suitcase, they found the torso zipped in a sleeping bag, ABC News reports.
Police have not publicly identified a motive. The investigation is ongoing.