A 28-year-old Long Island man died in his father's arms at his family home after a longtime friend stabbed him in the neck while he was sleeping.
Incident Details
Bobby Carragher was discovered unresponsive on the kitchen floor of a home in Massapequa on Monday after suffering a stab wound to his neck, according to News 12 Long Island. Nassau County police believe Carragher had gotten into an argument with his longtime friend Kristin Sculley, 22, after they spent several hours watching television in his basement bedroom, NBC New York reports.
When Carragher fell asleep, Sculley allegedly perpetrated the brutal attack. The victim then woke up and ran up the stairs, screaming for his mother's help. His parents quickly rushed to his aid to try to stop the bleeding before he collapsed, according to PIX 11.
Victim's Background
Carragher, an autobody shop worker, was pronounced dead at the scene. 'He died in his father's arms,' Nassau County Detective Lieutenant George Darienzo said at a news conference on Tuesday. 'No family should ever have to bear witness to their son being killed in that manner.'
Suspect's Actions
Sculley had allegedly stayed inside the home following the attack, hiding in the basement before she was located by authorities and taken into custody. She was still in possession of a pocket knife believed to be the murder weapon, police have said. A motive for the fatal stabbing remains unclear, with authorities just saying the victim and Sculley had a friendship and had known each other for years.
Sculley has no prior criminal record, and while investigators said there was some evidence of drug use, no substances were recovered at the scene.
Friends' Reactions
Carragher's friends were left struggling to make sense of his untimely death. 'There's not much you can say. An innocent life was taken,' Louis Ambrosio told ABC 7 outside the courthouse on Tuesday. He described how 'Bobby lit up every room he walked into' and told Newsday he was a 'hardworking kid and got his life on the right track' when he was hanging out with Sculley.
'It's disturbing that the room I hung out with my friend, he was murdered in his sleep,' Ambrosio said. 'It's just not right.' Dan Goldberg, a family friend, also called Carragher's death 'very shocking,' while another friend, Thomas Maloney, said it 'makes you lose faith in humanity a little bit thinking that someone could just take someone's life so easily like that. It's a really messed up thing.' He said the victim 'was just a funny, funny person, walked in the room, always had something funny to say.'
Legal Proceedings
The 22-year-old's defense attorney is now investigating whether Sculley may have been trying to defend herself. 'I think self-defense is something that definitely has to be looked into in this case,' attorney Mindy Plotkin told Newsday. In the meantime, Sculley has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in the second-degree and is being held without bail. When she was led out of Nassau Police Headquarters in Mineola and into a police cruiser, Sculley seemed to smile and smirk, NBC New York reports.
