Tyrese Haspil, the former personal assistant of tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh, who was charged in 2020 with the murder and dismemberment of his boss, has now presented a new claim through his lawyer. Haspil asserts that he beheaded Saleh in what he describes as a "crime of passion".
The grisly discovery of Saleh's beheaded and armless body in his luxury Manhattan condo shocked many. Initially, Haspil was arrested amid suspicions that he owed Saleh a substantial sum of money. However, recent revelations shed light on a deeper motive behind the gruesome crime.
According to Haspil's defense team, the 25-year-old assistant had been embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Saleh and was desperate to conceal his actions from his French girlfriend, Marine Chaveuz. To maintain secrecy, Haspil resorted to drastic measures. He forcibly entered Saleh's Lower East Side residence, incapacitated him with a Taser, and fatally stabbed him.
Haspil's defense lawyer, Sam Roberts, is now arguing before the jury that his client was in the grip of "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the murder.
The sequence of events leading up to Saleh's death paints a chilling picture of betrayal and calculated planning. Haspel, faced with the prospect of exposure and prosecution, meticulously orchestrated the murder, prosecutors allege.
In a detailed account of the brutal killing, prosecutors revealed that Haspil, disguised with a mask, incapacitated Saleh with a Taser before inflicting fatal stab wounds. The following day, Haspil dismembered Saleh's body, including decapitating him. Despite his efforts to clean the crime scene, key evidence, such as an identification tag linked to the murder weapon, was discovered.
Haspil's actions following the murder, including being seen with another woman shortly after the incident, raise further questions about his motivations and state of mind.
In his defense, Haspil's lawyer highlights a troubled upbringing marked by trauma, including years of abuse suffered at the hands of his schizophrenic mother. Haspil maintains his plea of not guilty to the first-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison if convicted.
As the trial unfolds, the complex web of circumstances surrounding Fahim Saleh's tragic death continues to captivate public attention, offering insights into the dark underbelly of human nature and the consequences of unchecked emotions.
