Bouncer Charged in Grad Student's Slaying
By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer
The yearbook photo provided by Boston Latin High School shows I mette St. Guillen
A career criminal who became investigators' prime suspect in the death of a 24-year-old graduate student has been charged with murder, two law enforcement officials said, but the bar bouncer insists he's innocent.
The officials, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the indictment was still sealed, said an announcement of charges against Darryl Littlejohn, 41, was expected Thursday. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Police have said that blood found on the plastic ties used to bind Imette St. Guillen's hands behind her back matched Littlejohn's.
Littlejohn has maintained his innocence, and his attorney, Kevin O'Donnell, has said his client was being scapegoated because police could not find the real killer.
In an interview with WCBS-TV from jail, Littlejohn said he was asked to escort St. Guillen out of a bar where she was drinking just before closing. O'Donnell did not allow him to be questioned about what happened next.
However, Littlejohn said that he provided a DNA sample when asked. "I cooperated fully, even before I was placed under arrest," he told the TV station.
Asked whether he killed St. Guillen, he said, "No, I did not."
The interview was conducted Tuesday and aired Wednesday evening.
O'Donnell told MSNBC on Wednesday that his client would plead not guilty at his arraignment. "All he's looking for is a fair trial," O'Donnell said.
St. Guillen's body was found Feb. 25 with a sock stuffed in her mouth and her head wrapped with packaging tape. She was last seen alive after a late night of drinking at The Falls bar, a Manhattan nightspot where Littlejohn worked as a bouncer.
A manager at The Falls has told police that Littlejohn escorted St. Guillen out after she stayed sipping a drink past the 4 a.m. closing time and recalled hearing the pair arguing before they disappeared through a side door. Sometime during the next 17 hours, the student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan was killed.
Investigators soon set their sights on Littlejohn, a career criminal whose record includes robbery, drug and gun convictions, and locked him up on a parole violation as they slowly built their case.
Authorities said they collected evidence showing that Littlejohn's cell phone was used in the area where the body was discovered. They also claim the suspect's blood was found on the plastic ties used in the crime.
03-23-2006, 13:57
Bouncer Charged in Grad Student's Slaying 
Similar Threads 
