Imette St. Guillen

 

Imette Carmella St. Guillen (March 2, 1981 - February 25, 2006) was a Venezuelan American Boston graduate student and murder victim. She was a student studying criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City at the time of her death.

Life

St. Guillen was born March 2, 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up and was educated in the Mission Hill section. In her adolescent years she lived with her mother, Maureen and her sister, Alejandra.^[1] She attended Boston Latin School before going on to college. She was influenced by her deceased father, Seimundo, to get her college degree in criminal justice; she graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University, and was in the process of completing her last year in graduate school for her master's degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice when she was murdered.^[1]

Murder

Preceding her murder, St. Guillen had just returned from a trip to Florida. On the night of her arrival in New York City, February 25, 2006, St. Guillen continued celebrating her birthday with a long-time female friend at the Pioneer Bar. St. Guillen, wanting to stay out longer than her friend, parted ways and eventually walked a few blocks west to another bar by herself. St. Guillen's friend later phoned her on her cell phone but St. Guillen did not reveal her whereabouts.^[2]

St. Guillen then went unaccounted for during a time-period lasting for approximately 16.5 hours before an anonymous phone call was received from one of the payphones outside of the Lindenwood Diner in Lindenwood, Queens,^[2] which had already been connected to the arrest of John A. Gotti.^[3] The call reported a body being found. St. Guillen was found in an area off of the Belt Parkway,^[4] known as Fountain Avenue. She was found nude, having been raped, tortured and murdered. She was also found with tape strips wrapped around her head, her hair cut, and a sock stuffed in her mouth.^[4][5]

The coroner's initial report indicated that she had been either 'gang raped' or 'violated' with objects. The cause of death was found to asphyxiation^[4] due to strangulation.^[2] Her sister had to identify St. Guillen, supposedly from forensic photographs. It was these gruesome aspects of the crime that attracted the national attention of the news media.^[6]

St. Guillen's funeral was held at the Gormley Funeral Home on March 4, 2006 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, which was attended by her mother, sister, step-father, Frank Holbrook, and step-brother, Luke Holbrook.^[7] Her body was later cremated as per her family's wishes.

Rewards

Within just a few days, a reward 'memorandum' was quickly created and posted on John Jay College's website.^[8] Other, more official reward posters were put up in the SoHo neighborhood around Spring and Lafayette streets, where she was last seen alive, offering a $42,000 reward.^[9][4]

The Falls bar

It was later learned that she was last seen alive with a bouncer who had escorted her from The Falls, a bar that was owned by the Dorrian family. The manager of the bar, Daniel Dorrian, gave several conflicting reports to the New York City Police Department about the presence of St. Guillen in the bar on the night of her murder.^[10] After a few days Dorrian finally admitted that St. Guillen had been in the bar but continued to lie about who was working, how she left, and whether he had been on duty that night.^[11] Michael Dorrian, the owner, claims that his family is not to blame.^[12]

Darryl Littlejohn

Darryl Littlejohn, age 41, a bouncer at The Falls where St. Guillen was seen the night she was murdered, was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment.^[13] DNA that was proven to be Littlejohn's, most likely caused from a nosebleed, was found on the plastic ties that were used to bind St. Guillen.^[13] Littlejohn was asked to escort St. Guillen out of The Falls just before closing,^[13] and was later seen talking to St. Guillen in front of the bar before her disappearance.^[14] His basement apartment and vehicle were searched by Police and CSI investigators. Carpet fibers that were found in Littlejohn's home were a match to fibers found stuck to the tape that St. Guillen's face was wrapped with.^[13] Additional evidence that Littlejohn was in the area at the time, date, and place where St. Guillen was killed and dumped has been found using cell tower records.^[15] Littlejohn's cellphone "indicated movement from his home to near the spot in Brooklyn where Ms. St. Guillen's body was found."^[16]

Littlejohn, an ex-convict, had spent more than 12 years in prison for drug possession and robbery charges.^[17] He was on parole at the time of his employment at The Falls, and by working at the bar, violated his parole agreement which had a curfew of 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.^[5] He is currently being held in Rikers Island.^[13] He was initially held because of the parole violation, but later was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and held for the murder of St. Guillen.^[14][5]

Littlejohn has since been linked to the abduction attempt of a Queens woman on October 19, 2005. The woman was grabbed off of the street and held by Littlejohn in his van. She managed to escape but left behind DNA which later had been identified as hers. The abduction attempt was linked to St. Guillen's case when the woman saw the suspected van on the TV news reports concerning St. Guillen.^[18][19]

Pre-trial and Trial

The pre-trial hearing for the murder of St. Guillen was held on September 11, 2007.^[19]

Littlejohn awaits trial on the abduction case from 2005.^[20] That trial will be held before Littlejohn's murder trial, raising concerns that the murder case is not strong enough.^[21] The quality of evidence has been called into question as the reasoning for the delay of the murder trial.^[22] However the prosecution has stated that they are ready to proceed with the trial.^[23]

The judge in charge of the case wants the murder trial as early as January of 2008,^[23] and has set another pre-trial hearing for October 11, 2007.^[23]

Aftermath

It was announced on May 12, 2006, that St. Guillen's family is suing the Dorrian family, as well as state and federal authorities.^[24] The St. Guillen's are represented in this civil action by attorney, Joseph Tacopina.^[24] This legal step is in reaction to The Falls bar's hiring of a "career" felon, the lack of background checks for bouncers, and the apparent inaction of the New York State Liquor Authority in monitoring bouncers and their inaction in quickly closing this establishment upon the initial news reports.

The Dorrian family had responded by calling the claim "ridiculous" and claiming St. Guillen's mother is "[...] doing this for the press."^[25]

Anti-Bar Demonstration

Within days after the revelation of the alleged lying of Dorrian in St. Guillen's disappearance, Jeff Ragsdale, a New York City writer, organized a group of people to start a demonstration in front of The Falls bar.^{[citation needed]} Their aim was to inform passers-by and others of St. Guillen's murder, and to bring pressure on the New York State Liquor Authority to have this bar closed and its liquor license permanently revoked.^[26] The demonstrations lasted a few months and around June of 2006, the fruit of their labors became evident when The Falls bar lost its liquor license. However, Dorrian has other establishments that are still doing business in New York City and in New Jersey.^[27]

The Pioneer Bar

The Pioneer Bar, the first bar which was associated with the disappearance of St. Guillen, was and is blameless in this murder case. However, this bar had suffered negative publicity affecting their business. This was due to its business facade being shown repeatedly on network television and other media outlets during the initial phase of St. Guillen's murder, and having been wrongly associated with same. The bar has changed its name to the 'R' Bar and is still doing business.^[28]

Legacy

A "Garden of Hope" is being planned in St. Guillen's neighborhood of Mission Hill. The garden will honor St. Guillen and put end to the dispute over what to do with the land. It will be called "Imette's Garden" and it is in the process of being designed by the Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design, a non-profit group. Nancy Schon, the sculptor of Boston Public Garden's Make Way for Ducklings, has agreed to design a butterfly in St. Guillen's honor.^[29]

In Boston, the "11th Annual Mothers' Walk for Peace" was held on Sunday, May 13, 2007 in which the St. Guillen family and many others in "Team Imette" participated. The event had the largest turnout of its history.^[30]

Personal impact

St. Guillen's ex boyfriend has joined the New York Police Department citing St. Guillen's murder as one of the solidifying reasons he joined.^[31] Along with the efforts of her ex-boyfriend St. Guillen's family has also alluded to the start of a foundation called the "Spirit of Imette Foundation" which would support organizations that help people, as St. Guillen had planned to do.^[32]

Scholarships

A scholarship in St. Guillen's name was established by the Alpha Phi Sigma chapter of John Jay College.^[33] In June, a diploma was awarded posthumously to St. Guillen on behalf of her mother and sister,^[34] her name is the very last name mentioned in the Graduation Class program book of John Jay.^[35] A fund is also being established in St. Guillen's honor at George Washington University by the Organization of Latino American Students (O.L.A.S).^[36]

Fundraiser

On September 16, 2006, a fundraiser was held in Boston, Massachusetts in honor of Imette St. Guillen titled "A Night for Imette" to raise money for a scholarship in her name at her former high school, Boston Latin.^[37] The fundraiser featured keynote speakers such as St. Guillen's mother, Maureen, her sister, Alejandra, her step-father, Frank Holbrook, and the Mayor of Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino and the Principal of Boston Latin.^[38]

Possible Song Reference

New York band Interpol wrote a song titled Pioneer to the Falls, which is the first track on their third album (Our Love to Admire) and which is believed to be referencing St. Guillen's murder. The title of the song most likely refers to the journey of Imette St. Guillen from the Pioneer bar to the Falls bar. ^{[citation needed]} Paul Banks, Interpol's singer and guitarist said: "It’s a very personal song, even though it’s about someone I’ve never met before. It’s pretty obvious who it is..."^[39]

Law

Main article: New York City Nightlife Legislation

On March 14, 2007, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino signed “Imette’s Law” - a New York legislation that will make it mandatory for nightclub and bar owners to conduct criminal background checks on bouncers and to set up security camera's outside the establishment.^[40]

Nightlife legislation

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled New York City Nightlife Legislation. (Discuss)

Other related murders during 2006

In July of 2006, another murder involving a student occurred with the rape-murder of Jennifer Moore. Moore, who was considerably younger than St. Guillen (18-years-old), went out to enjoy New York City nightlife with a friend. Later on, when she and her friend went back to their vehicle, they found that the car was towed and taken to a tow lot off of the West Side Highway. Moore, who became frightened, tried to get a ride to her New Jersey home and was later picked up, walking uptown, by an ex-convict with his teenage accomplice and taken to a New Jersey hotel where she was later found in a trash bag.

With the further death of Chanel Petro-Nixon, columnist Andrea Peyser, quoted below in the New York Post, had this to say, linking the murders of Imette St. Guillen, Jennifer Moore and Chanel Petro-Nixon, together:

"It's open season on young girls. An 18-year-old was found murdered this week in Jersey, allegedly by a man who took her from Manhattan after a night of underage clubbing. In February, graduate student Imette St. Guillen was taken from a SoHo bar and killed, allegedly by the bouncer. But the case of Chanel Petro-Nixon stands out for three reasons: She went missing in broad daylight, blocks from her house -- not at night, coming out of a bar."

Nightlife Summit and other hearings

In a New York Post Monday, August 28, 2006 article on page 23 titled, "Bar-probe Pol toasts The Post" written by Kenneth Lovett, mention was made of Senator Nicholas Spano scheduling a hearing on September 7 on existing liquor laws and how they were being enforced. Mention was made of Jennifer Moore and St. Guillen in the article.

In another Post article, "Clubs Seek Wild West Side 'Sheriff'", written by Stephanie Gaskell in the September 29, 2006 edition of the New York Post, and part of the continuing Post series "Wasteland", on Thursday, September 28, 2006, a "Nightlife Summit" was held in St. Guillen's alma mater, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Among the attendees were Police Commissioner Ray Kelly; John Feinblatt, who is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's criminal-justice coordinator; David Rabin, president of the New York Nightlife Association and co-owner of Lotus; Nightlife Association founder, Andrew Raseij; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn who organized the summit, and various club owners among others. To quote the entire article:

"Participants in yesterday's first ever "nightlife summit" agreed that police must help nightclub owners keep the peace and that there must be better regulation of the $10 billion-a-year industry -- possibly by creating a new city office dedicated to the job. Club owners, NYPD officials, local lawmakers and the State Liquor Authority chairman huddled at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice -- the alma mater of 24-year-old grad student Imette St. Guillen, who was killed after a late night of partying at a SoHo bar in March. Club owners want the police to provide a "paid-detail" -- allowing bars to hire off-duty cops to patrol the area outside their bars. But Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is against the idea because he says it's illegal and will breed corruption between cops and bar owners. "It violates the law," said John Feinblatt, Mayor Bloomberg's criminal-justice coordinator. At yesterday's summit, club owners said they were willing to accept any kind of help from the city's Finest. "It doesn't have to be paid detail," said David Rabin, president of the New York Nightlife Association and co-owner of Lotus. "Call it what you want. Cooperative policing. It doesn't matter." "We need to be able to call the police without fear that it will result (in) a disorderly-premise ticket," Rabin said, asking that most of these tickets are later dismissed in court. Club owners also said they want Bloomberg to create an "Office of Nightclub Affairs," similar to the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, to work as a liaison between the industry and government. "The nightlife industry brings in about $10 billion a year, twice that of the film industry," said Andrew Raseij, founder of the New York Nightlife Association and former owner of Irving Plaza. "But there is a misunderstanding of its value." Approximately 65 million people visit New York City bars and clubs each year. "Nightlife is one of the most important faces of New York to the world and I think it's crucial that we work with our city government, as opposed to feeling that we're against our city government all the time, to ensure that nightlife is safe and still fun," Rabin said. Both sides also agreed that more needs to be done to curb underage drinking, including cracking down on fake IDs and possibly raising the age limit to enter a bar or club from 16 to 18 or 21. There was a discussion about creating a campaign to remind clubgoers to keep quiet when leaving bars and to call the police if there is a safety issue. Some bar owners also complained that the smoking ban made it more difficult to keep the streets quiet at night. While no decisions were made at the summit, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who organized the summit, said she was encouraged. "I know that we can make nightlife safer in the city of New York." "We are not interested in putting the nightlife industry out of business in the city. "In fact, when I met with Imette St. Guillen's mother, she made a point of the fact that that is not what she wants." Rabin agreed, saying he welcomed more scrutiny from the city and the NYPD. "Fair scrutiny is always appreciated," he said. On Wednesday, the council introduced four pieces of legislation to help combat these problems -- including requiring ID scanners, security cameras and independent monitors to oversee problem establishments. Last month, the council passed "Imette's Law," which requires tougher background checks for bouncers. Bouncer Dar(r)yl (misspelling SIC) Littlejohn -- a convicted felon -- is accused of murdering St. Guillen."

List point captions in the above article were as follows:

• Create a city Office of Nightlife Affairs.
• Find ways to get more cops to patrol outside clubs and bars.
• Combat underage drinking and the use of fake IDs.
• Foster better relationship among club owners, the NYPD and the State Liquor Authority
• Raise age limit for admittance into a club or bar from 16 to 18 or 21.
• Develop a public-awareness campaign urging patrons to be safe at night.
• Examine zoning laws to help neighborhoods that are flooded with clubs and bars.

Post-Nightlife Summit: Underage Drinking - an 'unrelated' legacy

Although Imette St. Guillen was a young woman of legal drinking age (24-years-old), the further, related murder of even younger Jennifer Moore who was 18, brought more focus to nightlife. The issues brought to the forefront of public thinking were underage drinking and fake identification cards being obtained by teenagers illegally to obtain access to bars. The following was reported in a small article in the Friday, December 29, 2006 edition of the New York Daily News, written by Lisa L. Colangelo, titled "Close clubs to under-18s, sez Quinn":

"NIGHT CLUBS should crack down on underage drinkers and creeps who prey on clubgoers by barring anyone under 18 from entering their doors and using cameras to beef up security, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said yesterday. But she stopped short of saying teen clubbers caught using fake IDs should be stripped of their driving privileges. "It's an idea," Quinn said after releasing a report of recommendations from the Council's Nightlife Summit held in September. "I'm sure that will get fleshed out. Today I'm supporting the recommendations that are in this report, and that is not in this report." Quinn said Council members want to put together legislation to target sellers of fake IDs. The summit between police, Council members and club owners was called after several young people were murdered after spending time in a club. A lawyer representing the family of Imette St. Guillen, a young woman kidnapped, raped and murdered after drinking in the early-morning hours at a SoHo bar, said they were encouraged by the recommendations. "They understand that what makes New York City unique is the fact that it has such a fantastic nightlife," said Rosemary Arnold. Robert Bookman, a lawyer for the nightlife association, said his group doesn't agree with all parts of the report but is glad club owners are meeting with lawmakers and police officials."

References

• Celona, Larry; Weiss, Murray & Mongelli, Lorena (March 7, 2006), "Imette's Last Call A Scream - Argued With Bouncer Suspected In Murder", New York Post: 5

• Peyser, Andrea (July 29, 2006), "It's open season on young gals", New York Post

• Lovett, Kenneth (August 28, 2006), "Bar-probe Pol toasts The Post", New York Post: 23

• Gaskell, Stephanie (September 29, 2006), "Clubs seek Wild West Side 'Sheriff'", New York Post: 11

• Gaskell, Stephanie (December 29, 2006), "Close clubs to under-18s, sez Quinn", New York Daily News: 36

• [1] Weblink to: The Council of the City of New York Office of Communications newsletter, dated August 8, 2006, titled: "Council Speaker Announces 3-Point Plan to Improve Nightclub Safety".

• [2] Weblink to: The Council of the City of New York Office of Communications newsletter, dated September 28, 2006, titled: "Speaker Quinn to Lead Summit on Strengthening Nightlife Safety".

See also

• Dorrian's Red Hand Restaurant
• Jennifer Levin
• Jennifer Moore
• Ramona Moore
• Chanel Petro-Nixon

External links

• Justice for Imette
• Guestbook for Imette St. Guillen by Gormley Funeral Home
• Imette St. Guillen's Murder case map
• Imette St. Guillen Case at America's Most Wanted
• Imette St. Guillen: I blame society & not killers: Imette St. Guillen wrote about murder 15 days before she died

Scholarships

• The Imette C. Saint-Guillen Scholarship Fund

Nightlife legislation

• Boston City Council Looks At "Imette's Law". Hub Politics.
• Council Bills Make Nightclubs Safer. Queens Gazette (March 7, 2007).
• McPhee, Michele (Thursday, March 15, 2007). Menino signs ‘Imette’s Law’ requiring background checks for bar bouncers. Boston Herald.
• Dreilinger, Danielle. Mass. lawmakers seek to copy Boston bouncer law: State would follow in Boston's footsteps. BostonNOW.
• Wedge, Dave (Wednesday, May 30, 2007). St. Guillen's mom urges statewide bouncer bill. Boston Herald.

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