The wheelchair-bound Kips Bay man who allegedly shot a woman dead and dumped her body in the trash on a curb last month went on an incoherent tangent Monday while being arraigned on a grand jury indictment.
Chad Irish, 55, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Yazmeen Williams, 31, who police say he shot in the head before wrapping her body in a sleeping bag and dumping her on East 27th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue on July 5.
Four days later, Irish was infamously taken into custody on July 9 at the Straus Houses after he allegedly flashed a firearm. As EMS rolled him out of the NYCHA building, enraged residents assaulted him, landing blow after blow upon the accused killer as Williams’ distraught mother publicly called for his death.
At his Aug. 12 hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court on the indictment, Irish argued both with his defense attorney and Judge Thomas Farber — going on a long, bizarre rant protesting the justice system and his inability to testify before the grand jury.
“They are in cahoots!” Irish cried as a stunned audience looked on. “Don’t you want to hear what happened? Don’t you want to hear my side?”
According to Irish, his lawyer overruled his motion to testify — something which Judge Farber explained that the attorney had every right to do while representing Irish.
“My lawyer threatened to quit if I testified,” Irish added.
While this prompted a debate to whether the accused killer would seek new counsel, information from court documents allege that Irish had threatened to kill Williams in the days leading up to her death.
Legal documents say Williams and Irish, who had been living together, had been arguing through text messages. On June 26 at 8:51 p.m., according to statements made in the criminal investigation, Irish allegedly threatened to shoot Williams while the couple quarreled in a hallway.
Days later, Irish was allegedly caught on surveillance camera leaving his apartment while dragging a sleeping bag later found to contain Williams’ body behind him in full view of neighbors unaware of the bag’s grim contents.
“Chad Irish is removing that package, a sleeping bag, from the location in his wheelchair; quite a few residents were more than happy to hold the door open for him as he wheeled the body down the street,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
On July 5, locals noticed the sleeping bag and grew concerned.
“I walked by and turned around, there were flies swarming all over it,” Rian Robbins told amNewYork Metro on July 5. It was big and bloated like it had been in water.”
Police later discovered Williams’ decomposing body. An autopsy revealed that she had died from a gunshot wound to her head.
Despite the evidence against him, Irish has maintained his innocence, telling amNewYork Metro days after his arrest that Williams merely walked his dog.
“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. 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,” District Attorney Bragg said. “I send my deepest condolences to her loved ones as they continue to mourn her loss.”
Irish is set to appear in court again on Sept 14.
