The man accused of killing 31-year-old Manhattanite Yazmeen Williams and disposing of her body in a sleeping bag on a sidewalk in Kips Bay last month pleaded not guilty on Monday to multiple charges.
A grand jury indicted 55-year-old Chad Irish on charges of fatally shooting Williams and then concealing her body around the corner from their shared residence on East 28th Street, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. In addition to second-degree murder, Irish faces counts of criminal possession of a weapon, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
“As alleged, Chad Irish cut the life of Yazmeen Williams short in this unspeakable tragedy, compounding the crime by so callously disposing of her body,” Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “Ms. Williams had her whole life ahead of her and was looking forward to starting a new chapter with a job at the New York City Housing and Preservation and Development that week.”
An attorney for Irish did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday. Court records show he was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors said Irish and Williams had been living together since November 2023 and arguing via text in the days leading up to the shooting. On June 26, while they argued in their building’s hallway, he threatened to shoot her, according to the DA’s office. A few days later, Irish allegedly shot Williams in her head.
Then on July 5, prosecutors said, Irish left his apartment in a wheelchair and dragged Williams’ body wrapped in a sleeping bag, placed on a black plastic dolly. He left it on East 27th Street among garbage bags, according to the indictment.
Police said they found Williams’ body after responding to a 911 call about a suspicious package with a foul odor. At the time, neighbors told Gothamist that the bag was swarming with flies and emitted a strong, foul odor.