The Murder of Imette St. Guillen
For this case I watched an episode of A Time to Kill. It’s season 3 episode 9, titled ‘The Sable-Eyed Beauty.’
A young woman is found dead after celebrating her 25th birthday.
Background
Imette Carmella St. Guillen was born on March 2, 1981. She was originally from Boston, but moved to Washington D.C., until her graduation from George Washington University in 2003. She then moved to New York to attend the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She was following in her dad’s footsteps, he had attended the same school. He unfortunately passed away when Imette was 9 years old.
Imette was an Honor student, and ranked in the top of her class. She was described as brilliant.
Imette St. Guillen
A Horrific Discovery
On Saturday, February 25, 2006, a man called 911 at 8:26pm. He said that he had found a D.O.A, wrapped in a blanket on Seaview Avenue and Fountain. The man told the dispatcher that he wished to remain anonymous.
The 75th Prescient responded to the call. The body was of a young female, she was nude and wrapped in a blanket. A sock had been stuffed in her mouth, and her legs and arms had been bound with zip ties. The cause of death was asphyxia, and she had been beaten and sexually assaulted. Her fingernails were also cut, as well as a chunk of her hair.
The police needed to identify this woman to determined where she had been before she was killed. They also wanted to determine her time of death, but the body was very well preserved due to the freezing cold weather.
Her Final Movements
When the police found the body, she had no wallet or ID on her. The local media worked with the police to put out information about the young woman.
The next morning, a woman named Alejandra St. Guillen came into the police station. She told them that her sister Imette was missing. Alejandra told the police that Imette had just gotten back from a vacation in Florida, and that she had been out celebrating with friends the previous evening.
The police showed Alejandra a polaroid picture, and she identified the victim as Imette.
The police also spoke to Imette’s best friend Claire. Claire said that she and Imette had been out celebrating Imette’s upcoming 25th birthday. They had started at the Pioneer Bar in Manhattan. At 3am, Claire and Imette got into an argument because Claire wanted to leave, and Imette didn’t. Claire decided to leave, and Imette walked to another bar called the Falls.
Imette arrived around 3:30am. At 3:45am, Claire called Imette and asked her where she was. Imette said she didn’t know, but that she was going to finish her drink and come home.
The Falls Bar
The Falls Bar
The police obtained Imette’s credit card information, and were able to determine that she had bought two rum and Cokes at 3:45am. They were also able to find surveillance footage of her arriving at the bar, but she was never seen leaving.
The police went to the bar, and spoke to several employees. The bartender told them that Imette had been visibly drunk, and that there was talk of making her leave.
The bar manager Daniel Dorrian told the bartender that he wanted Imette gone at 4am, which is when the bar closed. Daniel Dorrian was very well known to police. His family owned several bars throughout the five boroughs, and his father’s bar Dorrian’s became well-known due to the murder of Jennifer Levin (aka the Preppy Boy murder case).
Dorrian’s in New York
Daniel was asked to come in for questioning. He originally said that he didn’t know Imette, but later said that he made his two bartenders kick her out at 4am. They had escorted her out the side entrance, which wasn’t covered by surveillance cameras.
The police discovered that Daniel Dorrian didn’t do much research before hiring his employees. His two bartenders Tim and Darryl Littlejohn were actually on probation and parole, and shouldn’t have even been allowed to be working at the bar due to curfew.
The Bartenders
The police brought both bartenders in for questioning.
Tim was questioned first. He lived in Staten Island, and told the police that he left the bar at 4:15am to catch the ferry. He said when he left, Darryl and Imette were talking.
Darryl was questioned next. He was asked Imette, and he said that he had gotten into an argument with her about racism and crimes against black men. He also told Imette that he was a U.S. Marshal, which he wasn’t. He told the police that he walked Imette out around 4am, and he didn’t know how she got home.
The police asked Darryl where he was from 4am t0 8:26pm when Imette was found. He said he had visited his mom at a nursing home. This turned out to be another lie, and the police obtained a warrant for his DNA, home and car.
Another Victim?
The local media staked out Darryl’s house after it was discovered that the police were searching his house in Queens.
The police found empty bottles of bleach, and the house was super clean. The police took apart the sink in the home, and it was spotless.
A young woman contacted the police when she saw Darryl’s minivan on the news. She told them that she had been walking home from class in November 2005, and was stopped by someone in law enforcement. However, she soon discovered that he wasn’t in law enforcement when she was thrown in the back of his van. The young woman was able to escape and survive.
Another witness came forward. He was night security guard at a landfill near where Imette’s body was found. He said he remembered seeing a minivan, and a man on the phone in his car around 7:30am.
The police obtained Darryl’s phone records. He had received two calls from a woman, and his phone pinged off a cell tower in the area where Imette was found. The police knew Darryl was their killer, but they needed more definite proof that he did it.
Arrest and Conviction
They were able to 100% prove that Darryl was the killer, when his DNA was found on a snow brush found under Imette’s body and a speck of his blood was found on the zip ties.
The police didn’t know what Darryl’s motive was, but believed he targeted Imette after becoming upset about their conversation at the bar. The police believe that Darryl either offered her a ride or forced her into his van. He then took her to his home, brutally beat and assaulted her, and then dumped her body in an isolated area.
Darryl’s defense was that the DNA found had been contaminated. They also said the DNA was used to frame him, and clear the real killer Daniel Dorrian.
On June 3, 2009, Darryl Littlejohn was convicted of Imette’s murder. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Darryl Littlejohn
Other
Imette’s case led to a demonstration in front of the Falls Bar. In June 2006, the bar lost their liquor license.
A scholarship called the Imette St. Guillen Scholarship was created for second year students at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her family also created the Spirit of Imette Foundation, to support education for underprivileged children.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart breaks for Imette’s family. Imette just wanted to go out and have a good night celebrating, and a man who shouldn’t have even been out working at 4am targeted her. I believe that the right person is in prison, and he deserves to never get out. The police also think that if Darryl hadn’t been caught, he would’ve become a serial killer.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Imette_St._Guillen
https://thecinemaholic.com/imette-st-guillen-murder-where-is-darryl-littlejohn-now/
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/imette-st-guillen
