Torso Murder Victim and Killer IDed; Body Parts Still Missing

The most gruesome murder mystery of the year to date has been solved.

Christian Millet, 23, is charged with stabbing his roommate, Edwin Echevarria, to death, chopping the 65-year-old retired postal worker up and dumping his remains into the East River. Only Echevarria’s torso has been located, inside a suitcase floating near Governor’s Island.

The macabre discovery came late in the afternoon on Feb. 5, when a New York Waterway captain spotted a suitcase floating near Governor’s Island. Unable to take it on board themselves, the crew called 911, with NYPD Harbor Patrol responding. When the cops landed at Pier 17 at Fulton Street and opened the suitcase, they found inside it the torso of an unknown male.

The horrific mystery lingered for a week. The first break in the case came when forensic cops were able to discern a faded name on the suitcase’s luggage tag. As it turns out, Echevarria wasn’t unknown to police.

A wellness check had been performed at Echevarria’s apartment at 60 Columbia St. in the Baruch Houses NYCHA project on Feb. 2—the last time Echevarria was seen alive—and again on Feb. 5, when only Christian Millet was present.

It’s reported that Millett is the troubled grandson of Echevarria’s long-term girlfriend.

At 9 p.m. on Feb. 12, Millet was arrested at 60 Columbia St. and charged with 2nd Degree Murder.

According to sources, Millet confessed to cops at the 7th Precinct, claiming he had been fighting with Echevarria over food. The murder weapon was allegedly a sharp screwdriver, with a kitchen knife used for dismemberment.

While it’s believed the slaying took place on Feb. 2, it’s not yet clear when and where Millet disposed of the body.

Straus News visited Baruch Houses on Feb. 14 to see if we could piece together a possible disposal method.

Opened in 1959, Baruch Houses is the largest public housing complex in Manhattan, including 18 buildings and more than 5,000 residents. Its boundaries south to north are from Delancey to East Houston streets; east to west, the FDR Drive to Columbia Street.

Echevarria’s apartment at 60 Columbia St. is near the project’s southwest corner at Delancey Street.

The Williamsburg Bridge looms above the building, but its pedestrian walkways are adjacent to lanes of traffic, not the water. While the Corlears Hook ferry station is nearby, it’s unlikely a ferry passenger could throw a heavy suitcase overboard without being seen.

More probable is that the alleged killer took Echevarria’s torso in a suitcase to East River Park via the nearby Delancey Street Bridge or, a bit farther south at Pier 42. The alleged killer might also have ascended the Manhattan Bridge pedestrian walkway and heaved Echevarria into the water from there.

Whatever happened, Willett, who is listed as 6 feet tall, 150 pounds, and has brown dreadlock-style hair, is being held without bail at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island. His next court date is Feb. 18, the day this newspaper goes to press.