The former trusted aide charged with killing and beheading his chief tech CEO in Manhattan pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder Sunday, according to a report.
Tyrese Haspil, 21, who was charged with the horrifying death of Gokada chief Fahim Saleh, presented the guilty plea in a charge reading early Sunday morning, a spokesman for the Legal Aid Society, who represents FOX News Haspil.
Before his arrest on Friday, Haspil had never had a problem with the law, according to his lawyers, who urged people to keep an open mind about what may have happened in the case.
“We are in the early stages of discovering the truth. The life of this case promises to be long and complex. As Mr. Haspil’s attorneys, we urge the public to keep an open mind, “Legal Aid Lawyers Sam Roberts and Neville Mitchell said in a statement.
Saleh, 33, was discovered dismembered inside his $ 2.2 million apartment on the Lower East Side on Tuesday. Haspil was reportedly caught on surveillance camera footage buying a chainsaw and cleaning supplies, which were found near the body, prosecutors said Saturday.
Authorities have said Haspil, who worked as Saleh’s “executive assistant”, misappropriated $ 100,000 of the tech boy and was on a payment plan to return the money, before killing him.
Saleh, who has been hailed by his friends as “Elon Musk of the developing world,” was the CEO of Gokada, a Nigerian motorcycle transport company.
The next appointment in Haspil’s court is scheduled for August.
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