Murder of Imette St. Guillen

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{{Infobox person

| name = Imette St. Guillen

| image = Imette St. Guillen.jpg

| caption = St. Guillen in 2003

| image_size = 200px

| birth_name = Imette Carmella St. Guillen

| birth_date = {{birth date|1981|03|02}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|02|25|1981|03|02}}

| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, USA

| death_place = Brooklyn, New York City, USA

| nationality = American

| known_for = Murder victim

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=2}}

| parents = Seimundo Guillen and Maureen St. Hillaire

}}

Imette Carmella St. Guillen (March 2, 1981 – February 25, 2006) was an American graduate student who was raped and murdered in New York City.{{cite web |title=About Imette |url=http://www.spiritofimette.org/ |website=The Spirit of Imette Foundation |access-date=September 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126141028/http://spiritofimette.org/ |archive-date=January 26, 2009 }} She was studying criminal justice{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/28/nyregion/police-try-to-trace-last-steps-of-a-student-found-slain.html |title=Police Try to Trace Last Steps of a Student Found Slain |first1=Al |last1=Baker |date=February 28, 2006 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=October 28, 2008}} at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Her murder captured national attention;{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11623311 |title=The gruesome murder of Imette St. Guillen |first=Clint |last=Van Zandt |date=March 2, 2006 |website=NBC News |access-date=June 8, 2007 }} together with the later murder of Jennifer Moore, it was a catalyst for passage of legislation to require background checks of bouncers in bars and a security plan for nightclubs.{{cite news |url=http://www.slra.us/images/Menino_signs_Imette_s_Law__3-15-07.pdf |title=Menino signs 'Imette's Law' requiring background checks for bar bouncers |first=Michele |last=McPhee |date=March 15, 2007 |newspaper=Boston Herald |access-date=June 21, 2009}}{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/19/2007-10-19_nightclub_murders_give_rise_to_58point_s-3.html |title=Nightclub murders give rise to 58-point security plan |date=October 19, 2007 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=October 19, 2007}} Darryl Littlejohn, a bouncer, was convicted of St. Guillen's murder.

Life and murder

Imette St. Guillen was born in Boston, Massachusetts,{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/03/04/imette_st_guillen_24_slay_victim_valued_community_service/ |last=Marquard |first=Bryan |title=Imette St. Guillen, 24; slay victim valued community service |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=March 4, 2006}} to Seimundo Guillen and Maureen St. Hilaire. Her surname–and that of her elder sister– was a combination of their parents' surnames. Their mother was French Canadian. Their father, Seimundo Guillen, a Venezuelan immigrant, died of AIDS when Imette was 9 years old.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/nyregion/01dead.html |last=Baker |first=Al |title=Police Seek Caller Who Pointed Way to Student's Body |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 1, 2006}} Her widowed mother later remarried.

St. Guillen graduated from Boston Latin School in 1999 and moved to Washington, D.C. to attend George Washington University. Like her father, St. Guillen studied criminal justice. She graduated magna cum laude in 2003 and enrolled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice to pursue a master's degree. Although originally intending to study forensic psychology, St. Guillen changed her major to criminal justice. Ranked in the top 5% of her class, she was scheduled to graduate in May 2006.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/28/nyregion/police-try-to-trace-last-steps-of-a-student-found-slain.html |title=Police Try to Trace Last Steps of a Student Found Slain |last=Baker |first=Al |date=February 28, 2006 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 2, 2009}}

After celebrating her upcoming birthday with her mother and sister in Florida, St. Guillen took a plane back to New York. On February 24, 2006, St. Guillen met with her best friend Claire Higgins to continue celebrating her birthday, a few days away.{{sfnp|Valenti|2009|p=148}} Out at a nightclub around 3:30 a.m. on February 25, the two women argued over whether to go home. Higgins left; later, in a 3:50 a.m. phone call, St. Guillen assured Higgins that she would soon be leaving for home.{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=4}} She was last seen at 4:00 a.m at a bar named 'The Falls'.{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=2}}

Seventeen hours after St. Guillen spoke with her friend, police in Brooklyn received an anonymous phone call alerting them to a dead woman's body{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=2}} on Fountain Avenue in Spring Creek Park.{{Cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|date=2006-03-13|title=Police Say DNA LinksBouncer to Slain Student|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/13/nyregion/police-say-dna-linksbouncer-to-slain-student.html|access-date=2020-05-04|issn=0362-4331}} They soon identified it as St. Guillen. Her body was nude, wrapped in a comforter.{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=2}} Her broken fingernails showed she fought against her attacker.{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Kerry |last2=Dillon |first2=Nancy |last3=Gendar |first3=Alison |title=Cop's Think It's An Evil Stranger: Mummy vic last seen standing by herself on dark SoHo street |date=March 2, 2006 |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2006/03/02/2006-03-02_cop_s_think_it_s_an_evil_str.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924033703/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2006/03/02/2006-03-02_cop_s_think_it_s_an_evil_str.html |archive-date=September 24, 2009 }} Her hands and feet were tied, a sock had been shoved down her throat, and her head was wrapped in packing tape. Some of her hair had been cut off. An autopsy revealed that she had been beaten and sexually assaulted before being asphyxiated.{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=2}} According to forensic psychologist Dr. Stephanie Stolinsky, the killer "tried to dehumanize her completely. ... Whenever you hide someone's face, it means that you don't want to see them as a human being. You want to pretend that they're just an object".{{sfnp|Velez-Mitchell|2007|p=2}}

The murder case of Imette St. Guillen was handled by the Special Victims Squad and Brooklyn North Homicide Squad of the NYPD.

{{wide image|Fountain Avenue.jpg|750px|Fountain Avenue in Spring Creek Park, where the body of Imette St. Guillen was found after an anonymous phone call from the Lindenwood Diner to NYPD. This photograph was taken facing east, toward the Belt Parkway. A memorial, created by various sympathizers and neighborhood well-wishers, is shown on the left.}}

Arrest

File:The Falls Side Door.JPG

Darryl Littlejohn, one of two bouncers at The Falls where St. Guillen was seen the night she was murdered, was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment.{{cite news |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/stGuillenMurder/view.bg?articleid=131765 |title=Bloody nose likely DNA source |first=Michele |last=McPhee |date=March 23, 2006 |newspaper=Boston Herald |access-date=June 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060325031218/http://news.bostonherald.com/stGuillenMurder/view.bg?articleid=131765 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 25, 2006 }} DNA that was proven to be Littlejohn's, most likely caused from a nosebleed, was found in blood on the plastic ties used to bind St. Guillen's hands. Littlejohn was asked to escort St. Guillen out of The Falls just before closing, and was later seen talking to the young woman in front of the bar.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/03/08/2006-03-08_his_chilling_words_you_seemed_like_a_rea.html |title=His Chilling Words: 'You Seemed Like A Real Nice Lady' |first=Veronika |last=Belenkaya |date=March 8, 2006 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=June 12, 2007 |location=New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930055908/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/03/08/2006-03-08_his_chilling_words_you_seemed_like_a_rea.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}} His basement apartment in Queens and vehicles were searched by police and crime scene investigators. Carpet fibers found in Littlejohn's home were a match to fibers discovered on the adhesive tape wrapping St. Guillen's face. Additional evidence that Littlejohn was in the area at the time, date, and place where St. Guillen was killed and dumped was found using cell phone tower records.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2007/05/cellphone_forensics |title=Courts Cast Wary Eye on Evidence Gleaned From Cell Phones |first=Annalee |last=Newitz |date=May 10, 2007 |magazine=Wired |access-date=August 10, 2007}} These "indicated movement from his home to near the spot in Brooklyn where Ms. St. Guillen's body was found."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/nyregion/16cell.html?ex=1186891200&en=7dd3c14dcc8b402d&ei=5070 |title=When the Trill of a Cellphone Brings the Clang of Prison Doors |first=Anemona |last=Hartocollis |date=July 16, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 10, 2007}}

Due to the nature of St. Guillen's murder and other high-profile crimes, The Village Voice suggested that the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) was devoting more of its time to tracing the cellular phones of detectives.{{cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0810,351165,351165,1.html/3 |title=When Cops Go Bad Does the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau Even Notice? |first=Sean |last=Gardiner |date=March 4, 2008 |newspaper=The Village Voice |access-date=March 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311023630/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0810,351165,351165,1.html/3 |archive-date=March 11, 2008}} The article discussed efforts to uncover leaks to the media in these cases. A source that communicated with The Village Voice said that police in St. Guillen's murder case had received "punitive 'letters of instruction' in their files and were docked days of pay."

Littlejohn, an ex-convict, had spent more than 12 years in prison for drug possession and robbery charges.{{cite news |date=March 8, 2006 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/03/08/2006-03-08_a_scary_dude_neighbors_say-1.html |title=A Scary Dude, Neighbors Say |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=August 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930063045/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/03/08/2006-03-08_a_scary_dude_neighbors_say-1.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}} He was on parole at the time of his employment at The Falls and, by working late hours at the bar, was violating the curfew of his parole agreement. He was initially held by authorities because of the parole violation, and was later charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder for the death of St. Guillen.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11961701 |title=Bouncer indicted in NYC grad student murder |date=March 22, 2006 |website=NBC News |access-date=August 10, 2007 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/23/bouncer.indictment/index.html |title=Bouncer charged in student's slaying |date=March 24, 2006 |website=CNN |access-date=August 10, 2007}} During that time, Littlejohn was tried and convicted in the attempted abduction of a Queens woman on October 19, 2005; this abduction attempt was later linked to St. Guillen's case, as the woman called police after seeing the suspected van on TV news reports.{{cite news |date=August 9, 2007 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/08/09/2007-08-09_imette_slay_suspect_linked_to_abduct_try.html |title=Imette slay suspect linked to abduct try |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=August 10, 2007}}{{cite news |date=August 16, 2007 |url=http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18713896&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=6 |title=DNA links Darryl Littlejohn to 2005 kidnapping |first=Ivan |last=Pereira |newspaper=TimesLedger |access-date=August 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010115942/http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18713896&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=6 |archive-date=October 10, 2007}}

Littlejohn's initial defense attorney was Kevin O'Donnell,{{cite news |date=November 19, 2006 |title=Brooklyn Lawyers Vie for Chance at the Big Time |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/nyregion/19trial.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/L/Legal%20Profession |access-date=February 19, 2008 |first=Michael |last=Brick}} but he was dismissed after Littlejohn complained about his work.{{cite web |date=November 19, 2006 |title=Fighting To Be Darryl Littlejohn's Lawyer |first=Jen |last=Chung |website=Gothamist |url=http://gothamist.com/2006/11/19/fighting_to_be.php |access-date=February 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416012845/http://gothamist.com/2006/11/19/fighting_to_be.php |archive-date=April 16, 2008 }} Littlejohn's second lawyer, Joyce David, was known for her book What You Should Know If You're Accused of a Crime.{{cite book |year=1998 |title=What you should know if you're accused of a crime |author=Joyce B. David |publisher=Joyce B. David |edition=5th |url=http://www.joycedavid.com/book.htm |access-date=October 9, 2013}} She filed a 36-page legal brief on her defendant's behalf alleging a "wide-ranging conspiracy" related to Littlejohn and the St. Guillen murder.{{cite news |title=Imette-case 'plot' claim |first=Tim |last=Perone |page=3 |date=December 12, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Post}}{{cite news |date=December 12, 2007 |title=Imette St. Guillen murder suspect claims 'frame up' involving Rudy Giuliani |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/12/12/2007-12-12_imette_st_guillen_murder_suspect_claims_.html |access-date=December 13, 2007}}{{cite web |date=December 12, 2007 |title=St. Guillen Murder: Littlejohn Alleges Conspiracy: Accusations Thrown Everywhere, Even At Rudy Giuliani |first=Scott |last=Weinberger |website=WCBS-TV |url=http://wcbstv.com/topstories/darryl.littlejohn.imette.2.609736.html |access-date=December 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214194352/http://wcbstv.com/topstories/darryl.littlejohn.imette.2.609736.html |archive-date=December 14, 2007}}{{cite news |date=December 13, 2007 |title=N.Y. bouncer: Giuliani framed me |first=Michele |last=McPhee |newspaper=Boston Herald |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1050459 |access-date=December 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416134911/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1050459 |archive-date=April 16, 2008}}{{cite news |date=December 14, 2007 |title=St. Guillen case a frame? Lawyer for grad student's accused murderer says client a fall guy |first=Joshua Rhett |last=Miller |newspaper=Metro |edition=New York |url=http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/St_Guillen_case_a_frame/11109.html |access-date=December 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216021820/http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/St_Guillen_case_a_frame/11109.html |archive-date=December 16, 2007 }}

According to prosecutors, Littlejohn started his criminal career at age 12, first stealing a 70-year-old woman's purse with the help of a friend.{{cite news |date=October 2, 2008 |title=Imette St. Guillen-slay suspect Darryl Littlejohn's life of crime |first=Nicole |last=Bode |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/10/01/2008-10-01_imette_st_guillenslay_suspect_darryl_lit-2.html |access-date=October 2, 2008}} Prosecutors in the 2005 abduction sought court permission to discuss Littlejohn's crimes, and prosecutor Frank DeGaetano said that the crimes "fairly reflect his character." Littlejohn's lawyer wanted discussion of his past banned from the trial.

License for The Falls bar

During the investigation, there were revelations that The Falls bar manager, Daniel Dorrian, had allegedly lied about elements of St. Guillen's disappearance and murder. Jeff Ragsdale, a New York City writer, organized a group of people through Craigslist to start a demonstration in front of The Falls bar.{{cite news |url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_149/shutthefalls.html |first=Lincoln |last=Anderson |title='Shut The Falls,' protesters say after murder |date=March 17, 2006 |newspaper=Downtown Express |volume=18 |issue=44 |access-date=March 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216182212/http://downtownexpress.com/de_149/shutthefalls.html |archive-date=February 16, 2007 |url-status=dead }} The demonstrations lasted a few months, and around June 2006 The Falls bar lost its liquor license.{{cite news |date=March 21, 2006 |title=Flunking a Bar Exam - After the killing of Imette St. Guillen, scrutiny for 'The Falls' dynasty |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0612,ferguson,72602,5.html |first=Sarah |last=Ferguson |newspaper=The Village Voice |access-date=November 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510045629/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0612,ferguson,72602,5.html |archive-date=May 10, 2006 }} The Pioneer bar was associated with the disappearance of St. Guillen that night, but was not related to her murder. Nevertheless, the bar suffered negative publicity, and news reports showed images of its facade in coverage of the murder, leading the bar to change its name to the R Bar.{{cite web |url=http://www.thesimon.com/magazine/articles/dispatches_nyc/01105_guilt_association_pioneer_imette_st_guillen.html |title=Guilt By Association: The Pioneer and Imette St. Guillen |first=Pauline |last=Millard |date=March 9, 2006 |website=The Simon |access-date=November 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508064722/http://www.thesimon.com/magazine/articles/dispatches_nyc/01105_guilt_association_pioneer_imette_st_guillen.html |archive-date=May 8, 2006}}

Littlejohn's pre-trial and trial in previous abduction

Littlejohn went on trial in 2007 for the 2005 abduction,{{cite news |date=September 20, 2007 |title=Imette Suspect Trial |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/20/2007-09-20_city_briefs.html |access-date=September 20, 2007}} which was held before the murder trial for St. Guillen. Observers were concerned that this suggested that St. Guillen's murder case was not strong enough.{{cite web |date=August 20, 2007 |title=Concerns Over Strength of St. Guillen Murder Case |first=Dave |last=Hogarty |website=Gothamist |url=http://gothamist.com/2007/08/20/concerns_over_s.php |access-date=August 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930163622/http://gothamist.com/2007/08/20/concerns_over_s.php |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }} Prosecution, however, stated that they were prepared to proceed with the murder trial.{{cite news |date=September 12, 2007 |url=http://www.nysun.com/article/62486 |title=Trial Dates Asked for Bouncer Accused in Student's Murder |newspaper=The New York Sun |last=Portlock |first=Sarah |access-date=September 12, 2007}}

In January 2009, Littlejohn was convicted of kidnapping a college student, Shanai Woodard, in October 2005. The victim testified that he had approached her while dressed as a police officer, handcuffed her, and forced her into a vehicle. She escaped. Littlejohn was sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison.{{cite news |last=Fahim |first=Kareem |title=In Bouncer's Murder Trial, Victim's Friend Recalls Their Last Night |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 11, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/nyregion/12littlejohn.html}}

Trial

Pre-trial hearings began on September 11, 2007. Littlejohn's defense attorney Joyce David challenged the autopsy findings{{cn|date=July 2023}} as well as the search warrants giving police the authority to search Littlejohn's van, his apartment, and to investigate his cell phone records.{{cite news |date=March 3, 2008 |title=Alleged Rapist Darryl Littlejohn in Court for Murder |first=Charles |last=Sweeney |newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=18896 |access-date=March 4, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417021304/http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=18896 |archive-date=April 17, 2008}}

Opening arguments were given on May 11, 2009.{{cite news |date=May 11, 2009 |title=Imette St. Guillen murder trial begins - Prosecution lays out case against bouncer Darryl Littlejohn |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/11/2009-05-11_imette_st_guillen_murder_trial_begins_prosecution_lays_out_case_against_bouncer_.html |access-date=May 11, 2009 |first1=Scott |last1=Shifrel |first2=Dave |last2=Goldiner}} Prosecution headed by Kenneth Taub laid out the case that Littlejohn was a sex fiend. According to the Daily News, Taub said that "He [Littlejohn] did the same thing to two other women three months before" and "Until this case, he got away with it." They briefly described the circumstantial evidence against Littlejohn. Littlejohn wore glasses in the courtroom. Some defense lawyers have described this as the "nerd defense, which is a tactic used to make felons and other criminals appear less menacing to the jury during a trial."{{cite news |date=February 13, 2011 |title=Defense lawyers swear by gimmick of having defendants wearing glasses at trial |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/02/13/2011-02-13_they_were_framed_well_with_these_specs_they_coulda_looked_like_they_were_innocen.html |access-date=March 26, 2011 |first=Kevin |last=Deutsch}}

The defense was headed by Joyce David, who said that the case was a "racially charged frame-up by police eager to close a blockbuster case," according to the Daily News. David said, "He's a black man with a long criminal record," and "Who's going to care about him?" David pointed her finger at bartender Daniel Dorrian of The Falls bar and said that "Darryl Littlejohn is being framed to protect Danny Dorrian".

=Prosecution's case=

Claire Higgins, St. Guillen's best friend, was among the first to take the witness stand. She described the time she had shared with St. Guillen on the night of her disappearance.{{cite news |date=May 12, 2009 |title=In Bouncer's Murder Trial, Victim's Friend Recalls Their Last Night |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/nyregion/12littlejohn.html?ref=nyregion |access-date=May 13, 2009 |first=Kareem |last=Fahim}} Daniel Dorrian, manager of the bar where St. Guillen was last seen, indicated during the trial that Littlejohn and St. Guillen had "a screaming match" that night. According to the Daily News, "Dorrian insisted he didn't lie when he initially stonewalled cops about St. Guillen's kidnapping and murder."{{cite news|last1=Shifrel|first1=Scott|last2=Goldiner|first2=Dave|date=May 13, 2009|title=In Imette St. Guillen slay trial, bar manager Danny Dorrian under fire; lawyers paint him as suspect|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/13/2009-05-13_in_imette_st_guillen_slay_trial_bar_manager_danny_dorrian_under_fire_lawyers_pai.html|access-date=May 13, 2009}} However, he later admitted telling police that he did not remember St. Guillen being in The Falls bar,{{cite news |date=May 12, 2009 |title=Preppie Killer case led SoHo barkeep Dorrian to lie about Imette |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/13/2009-05-13_echoes_of_chambers_preppie_killer_case.html |access-date=May 13, 2009 |first1=Scott |last1=Shifrel |first2=Dave |last2=Goldiner}} having attributed his initial statements to a fear of backlash against his bar. Defense lawyers suggested that Dorrian might have been the real killer and that St. Guillen might have returned to The Falls bar and "hooked up with Dorrian", though NYPD never investigated him as a possible suspect.

Littlejohn's ex-girlfriend, Sandra Smith, testified on May 14, the fourth day of the trial, testifying that after St. Guillen's death, he asked her to lie about using her Chrysler Sebring.{{cite news |date=May 14, 2009 |title=Ex-girlfriend of Imette St. Guillen's accused murderer: He asked me to lie for him day after slay |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/14/2009-05-14_exgirlfriend_of_imette_st_guillens_accused_murderer_he_asked_me_to_lie_for_him_d.html#ixzz0FhibjYJm&B |access-date=May 16, 2009 |first1=Scott |last1=Shifrel |first2=Dave |last2=Goldiner}} Nicholas Petraco, a retired NYPD forensics evidence expert, testified about the presence of fibers from two coats and a jacket at Littlejohn's home in his van, on tape, and on a quilt, though he indicated that fiber analysis is not as good as DNA evidence.{{cite news|last1=Shifrel|first1=Scott|last2=Goldiner|first2=Dave|date=May 19, 2009|title=Forensics expert testifies against bouncer Darryl Littlejohn in Imette St. Guillen murder trial|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/19/2009-05-19_forensics_expert_testifies_against_bouncer_darryl_littlejohn_in_imette_st_guille.html|access-date=May 25, 2009}} A representative of the medical examiner's office testified that Littlejohn's DNA was found on a snow brush found alongside St. Guillen's body, while Littlejohn's mother's hairs were on the quilt.{{cite news|last1=Shifrel|first1=Scott|last2=Goldiner|first2=Dave|date=May 21, 2009|title=DNA on brush tied to suspected Imette killer, Darryl Littlejohn|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/21/2009-05-21_dna_on_brush_tied_to_imette_suspect.html|access-date=May 25, 2009}} Hairs were also identified as coming from eight other people.{{cite news |date=May 20, 2009 |title=Littlejohn Murder Trial Continues With Graphic Medical Evidence |first=Samuel |last=Newhouse |newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=28364 |access-date=May 31, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910000316/http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=28364 |archive-date=September 10, 2009}} Medical examiner Ewelina Bajda said that traces of Littlejohn's blood were found in the locking mechanism of one of the zip-ties found in the Windstar used to bind St. Guillen.

Prosecutors called several witnesses to testify to previous cases in which Littlejohn was alleged to have abducted young women. Woodard, the victim in the 2005 attack, testified about her kidnapping attempt,{{cite web |date=May 18, 2009 |title=Woman Testifies In Her Former Kidnapper's Murder Trial |website=NY1 |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99261/woman-testifies-in-her-former-kidnapper-s-murder-trial/Default.aspx |access-date=May 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608213800/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99261/woman-testifies-in-her-former-kidnapper-s-murder-trial/Default.aspx |archive-date=June 8, 2009 }} and the district attorney who prosecuted him testified about the evidence that had led to his conviction, though Justice Gerges warned jurors should not take Woodard's testimony as proof of Littlejohn's "propensity" to commit such crimes.{{cite news |date=May 18, 2009 |title=Witness Tells of Escaping Kidnapping by Defendant |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/nyregion/19littlejohn.html |access-date=May 25, 2009 |first=Kareem |last=Fahim}} Prosecutors later called a Japanese woman, also a student, who had been raped four months before St. Guillen's death in a manner similar to Woodard's case.{{cite web |date=May 26, 2009 |title=Alleged Rape Victim Testifies In Littlejohn Trial |website=NY1 |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99660/alleged-rape-victim-expected-to-testify-in-littlejohn-trial/Default.aspx |access-date=May 31, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615061845/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99660/alleged-rape-victim-expected-to-testify-in-littlejohn-trial/Default.aspx |archive-date=June 15, 2009 }}{{cite web |date=May 26, 2009 |title=Alleged Rape Victim Testifies Against Littlejohn |website=WCBS-TV |url=http://wcbstv.com/topstories/imette.st.guillen.2.1020138.html |access-date=May 31, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite news|last=Shifrel|first=Scott|date=May 26, 2009|title=Rape victim's testimony may sink Darryl Littlejohn, accused in the murder of Imette St. Guillen|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/26/2009-05-26_rape_victims_testimony_may_sink_darryl_littlejohn_accused_in_the_murder_of_imett.html|access-date=May 31, 2009}} David, who objected to both Woodard's and the Japanese woman's testimonies, verbally attacked the second victim's inability to identify Littlejohn in a lineup. While Littlejohn had not been charged in the Japanese student's attack, prosecutors insisted there was "compelling proof" that he was her attacker.{{cite news |date=May 26, 2009 |title=Rape Victim Takes Stand at Brooklyn Murder Trial |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/nyregion/27littlejohn.html?ref=nyregion |access-date=May 31, 2009 |first=Kareem |last=Fahim}} Prosecution rested its case on May 28.{{cite news |date=May 28, 2009 |title=Prosecution rests in Imette St. Guillen murder trial; defense suggests Littlejohn won't take stand |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/05/28/2009-05-28_prosecution_rests_in_imette_st_guillen_murder_trial_defense_suggests_littlejohn_.html |access-date=May 31, 2009 |first1=Scott |last1=Shifrel |first2=Dave |last2=Goldiner}}{{cite web |date=May 28, 2009 |title=Prosecution Rests Case In Bouncer Murder Trial |website=NY1 |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99808/prosecution-rests-case-in-bouncer-murder-trial/Default.aspx |access-date=May 31, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610023736/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/99808/prosecution-rests-case-in-bouncer-murder-trial/Default.aspx |archive-date=June 10, 2009 }}

=Defense=

The defense continued to suggest that the DNA-testing of evidence that the city-hired firm, Bode Technology, may have been contaminated in order to frame Littlejohn and to clear bar manager Danny Dorrian. The prosecution criticized the defense's argument that police framed Littlejohn.{{cite news|last=Shifrel|first=Scott|date=June 2, 2009|title=Prosecutors mock defense claim Darryl Littlejohn was framed in Imette St. Guillen murder|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/06/02/2009-06-02_in_closing_defense_in_imette_st_guillen_murder_once_again_claims_darry_littlejoh.html|access-date=June 6, 2009}} David in reply said the evidence may suggest her client dumped the body, but it did not prove that Littlejohn killed her. After questioning two detectives about the 25-hour search for evidence in Littlejohn's residence, concluding that none of the more than 50 items confiscated was linked to St. Guillen, and DNA testing had failed to yield a match, the defense rested its case.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

= Verdict =

The jury of six men and six women took less than seven hours to convict Littlejohn of murdering Imette St. Guillen and found him guilty of first degree murder.{{cite news |date=June 3, 2009 |title=Bouncer Darryl Littlejohn found guilty of murdering of Imette St. Guillen |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/06/03/2009-06-03_darryl_littlejohn.html |access-date=June 6, 2009 |first=Scott |last=Shifrel}} Before the jurors' verdict, David said to CNN that she believed in the innocence of her client. She repeated that Littlejohn was framed and another man was a likely suspect. Afterward, David said: "We're going to appeal. We're disappointed. I'm hoping this gives the family of the victim some closure. But I think that the wrong man was convicted."{{cite news|last=Kokenes|first=Chris|date=June 3, 2009|title=New York bouncer found guilty in 2006 slaying of student|website=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/03/ny.bouncer.verdict/|access-date=June 6, 2009}}

=Sentencing=

Speaking to St. Guillen's relatives, Judge Abraham G. Gerges said, "I hope that the conclusion of these proceedings today will provide you with some small measure of solace."{{cite news |date=July 8, 2009 |title=Ex-Bouncer Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Rape and Murder |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/nyregion/09littlejohn.html?ref=nyregion |access-date=July 11, 2009 |first=Karen |last=Zraick}} Judge Gerges directed comments to and about Littlejohn, calling him an unrepentant "predator" who should never taste freedom again. He sentenced him to life without parole.{{cite news |date=July 8, 2009 |title=Darryl Littlejohn gets life without parole for Imette St. Guillen murder |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/07/08/2009-07-08_darryl_littlejohn_convicted_for_the_murder_of_imette_st_guillen_sentenced_to_lif.html |access-date=July 11, 2009 |first1=Scott |last1=Shifrel |first2=Dave |last2=Goldiner}} The Judge also paid tribute to St. Guillen, describing her as a 'promising woman who never deserved to die' saying, "If there were truly justice in this world, I would have the power to bring her back to you," addressing Maureen and Alejandra, who cried in the courtroom. He said, "To my great sorrow, that is not possible."

Littlejohn is to serve his sentence consecutively with his previous 25-year-to-life term for kidnapping a Queens woman. David indicated after the sentencing that she would file a notice of appeal and indicated that Littlejohn remained silent. She maintained that he was framed to protect Dorrian.

Civil lawsuits

In 2009 St. Guillen's family settled a confidential suit they brought against The Falls bar in 2007.{{cite news |date=June 7, 2009 |title=Imette suit is settled-Family to get cash from bar where she was abducted |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/06/07/2009-06-07_imette_suit_is_settled_family_to_get_cash_from_bar_where_she_was_abducted.html |access-date=June 16, 2009 |first=Scott |last=Shifrel}}

In early 2008, St. Guillen's mother brought a civil action against the federal government for US$200 million for their failure to keep track of Littlejohn under his parole.{{cite news |date=February 4, 2008 |title=Imette's mom files $200m suit vs. Feds |newspaper=Boston Herald |first=Laurel J. |last=Sweet |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1071091 |access-date=February 4, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306062614/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1071091 |archive-date=March 6, 2008 }} The suit names the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Program{{cite web |title=U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Information Series |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/misc/propretrial.html |access-date=October 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013131513/http://www.uscourts.gov/misc/propretrial.html |archive-date=October 13, 2008 }} as defendants. The suit was dismissed in May 2010 by Court of Claims Judge Faviola A. Soto, quoting an NYS Appeals decision that reaffirmed the standard that, "an agency of government is not liable for the negligent performance of a governmental function unless there existed 'a special duty to the injured person, in contrast to a general duty owed to the public.{{' "}}{{cite news |date=May 27, 2010 |title=Court of Claims Rejects That Parole Division Responsible for St. Guillen's Rape & Murder |first=Samuel |last=Newhouse |newspaper=The Brooklyn Eagle |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=35724 |access-date=July 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530101732/http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=35724 |archive-date=May 30, 2010}} In March 2011, the St. Guillen family settled with the Federal government for $130,000. Tracking software for post-release offenders was later named after St. Guillen.{{cite web |date=March 25, 2011 |title=Imette St. Guillen's Family Settles Federal Lawsuit |website=DNAinfo.com |last=Fisher |first=Janon |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/20110325/greenwich-village-soho/family-of-college-student-murdered-soho-bar-settles-with-federal-government |access-date=March 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326220822/http://www.dnainfo.com/20110325/greenwich-village-soho/family-of-college-student-murdered-soho-bar-settles-with-federal-government |archive-date=March 26, 2011 }}

Legacy

= Legislation =

According to New York's NightLife Association,{{cite web |title=Chapter NYNA |website=New York State Restaurant Association |url=http://www.nysra.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=168 |access-date=April 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414141126/http://www.nysra.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=168 |archive-date=April 14, 2011 }} after St. Guillen's death, crime rates around bars and clubs in New York City had decreased.{{cite web |last=Glorioso |first=Chris |title=3 Years Later, "Imette's Law" in Action |website=WPIX |date=June 3, 2009 |url=http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-imettes-law-060309,0,6681152.story |access-date=November 2, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724023247/http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-imettes-law-060309,0,6681152.story |archive-date=July 24, 2011 }} Her death was one of several high-profile incidents of women murdered after leaving a nightclub. The combined media scrutiny resulted in new and modified laws governing nightclub operations, including their screening of personnel.

Soon after authorities realized that a bouncer may have been the perpetrator, nightclub owners and local politicians met to discuss ways to improve nightlife safety. In February 2007, New York City enacted a law requiring enhanced security and bouncer vetting.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Charisse |title=Violence brings club crackdown |newspaper=USA Today |date=April 4, 2007 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-04-club-violence_N.htm |access-date=November 2, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515142846/https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-04-club-violence_N.htm |archive-date=May 15, 2007 |quote=Bouncers must be licensed by the New York Department of State. Licensing involves being fingerprinted, undergoing a background check and passing a one-day course.}} New York City club owners also agreed to voluntary guidelines which encourage the use of scanning machines to record the identification of their patrons and also encourage screening patrons for weapons.{{cite web |last=Ma |first=Suzanne |title=NYC Bouncer Get Life Sentence in Student's Death |website=ABC News |date=July 8, 2009 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=8033784&page=1 |access-date=November 2, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} The guidelines provide for more care in dealing with intoxicated female patrons who are alone. The following month, Boston enacted a similar law, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino signed an executive order authorizing the cancellation of liquor licenses granted to anyone found to have hired a violent felon.

A joint fundraising effort resulted in establishing the Imette St. Guillen Scholarship for second-year students at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Linda J. |title=St. Guillen Scholarship Winner is Astoria Native |date=June 7, 2006 |newspaper=Queens Gazette |url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006-06-07/features/031.html |access-date=November 2, 2009}}{{cite news |last=Larriva |first=Sandra |title=After the fall of The Falls, life returns to 224 Lafayette St. |newspaper=Downtown Express |location=New York |date=November 10, 2006 |volume=19 |issue=26 |url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_183/afterthefallof.html |access-date=November 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115120123/http://downtownexpress.com/de_183/afterthefallof.html |archive-date=January 15, 2010 |url-status=dead }} Another scholarship in her name was endowed at Boston Latin School.{{cite news |last=Smalley |first=Suzanne |title=Scholarship to honor slain student |date=September 1, 2006 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/01/scholarship_to_honor_slain_student/ |access-date=November 2, 2009 |newspaper=Boston Globe}}

=Representation in other media=

The murder was fictionalized in the novels Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein{{cite news |last=Memmott |first=Carol |title='Heat' is on sex offenders in Linda Fairstein's 10th thriller |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-03-09-fairstein-main_N.htm |access-date=November 2, 2009 |date=March 10, 2008 |newspaper=USA Today |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313235859/https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-03-09-fairstein-main_N.htm |archive-date=March 13, 2008}} and Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

St. Guillen's murder is discussed in the Jodi Picoult novel House Rules.
New York band Interpol wrote a song titled "Pioneer to the Falls," which is believed to refer to St. Guillen's murder. The title likely refers to the walk from the Pioneer bar to The Falls bar.{{cite web |date=October 12, 2007 |url=http://interpolarchives.com/photos/displayimage.php?pos=-4098/ |title=Translation of an interview with Paul Banks from Belgian Humo |website=HUMO |access-date=June 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417061702/http://interpolarchives.com/photos/displayimage.php?pos=-4098%2F |archive-date=April 17, 2008 }}{{cite web |title=De 7 Hoofdzonden volgens Paul Banks (Interpol) |url=http://www.humo.be/tws/deze-week/13879/de-7-hoofdzonden-volgens-paul-banks-interpol.html |website=HUMO |language=Dutch |access-date=May 25, 2009}}
St. Guillen is memorialized by Periel Aschenbrand in "In Memory of Imette", an article in A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer. This collection of writings edited by Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, is read as part of annual V-Day performances that raise funds to stop violence worldwide against women and girls.

The case is featured on HLN's Forensic Files II in an episode titled "Blanket Denial."

The case is featured in a 2019 episode of Homicide: Hours to Kill named "Last Call" {{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10647876/ | title=Last Call | website=IMDb }}

The case is featured in a 2021 episode of A Time to Kill named "The Sable-Eyed Beauty" on Investigation Discovery.{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14786696/ | title=The Sable-Eyed Beauty | website=IMDb }}

References

=Footnotes=

=Sources=

{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Ethan |year=2007 |publisher=Public Affairs |title=Snitch: Informants, Cooperators & the Corruption of Justice |isbn=978-1-58648-492-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/snitchinformants00brow }}
{{cite news |last=Gaskell |first=Stephanie |title=Close clubs to under-18s, sez Quinn |newspaper=New York Daily News |page=36 |date=December 29, 2006 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/12/29/2006-12-29_close_clubs_to_under18s_sez_quinn.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420141908/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/12/29/2006-12-29_close_clubs_to_under18s_sez_quinn.html |archive-date=April 20, 2008 }}
{{cite book |last=Mackenzie |first=Margaret A. |title=Courting the media: public relations for the accused and the accuser |publisher=Praeger Publishers |location=Wesport, CT |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-275-99125-8}}
{{cite book |last=Valenti |first=Jessica |title=The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women |year=2009 |publisher=Seal Press |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=978-1-58005-253-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/puritymythhowame00vale }}
{{cite book |last=Velez-Mitchell |first=Jane |title=Secrets Can Be Murder: The Killer Next Door |year=2007 |publisher=Touchstone |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7432-9936-7}}