The Central Park Slaying is the second episode of Homicide: New York.

By Katelyn Mensah

Published: Friday, 22 March 2024 at 14:29 PM


Dick Wolf’s new Netflix series, Homicide: New York, is taking viewers through some of the city’s most gruesome killings, told through the lens of those who cracked the case and those affected.

Each episode explores a different crime, with episode 2 focusing on the death of real estate agent, Michael McMorrow.

Titled Central Park Slaying, the episode features NYPD homicide detective Rob Mooney, who was tasked with getting to the bottom of what happened in the park on a fateful 1997 night and bringing the killers to justice.

So where are culprits Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez now? Read on for all you need to know.

What did Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez do? Crimes explained

In 1997, Michael McMorrow was found dead in Central Park. He had been stabbed, with his abdomen cut open and hands partially severed.

That night, Daphne Abdela called the police anonymously to report a body in a Central Park lake and the NYPD soon found the mutilated body.

In the episode, retired detective Rob Mooney said the teenagers had been drinking with McMorrow and a group of people in the park, and McMorrow was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Michael McMorrow in a suit looking ahead. He has a moustache and brown hair
Michael McMorrow. Netflix

At first, both Abdela and Vasquez claimed they had gone swimming and McMorrow had put his arm around Abdela, which Vasquez saw as him making an advance.

Abdela claimed Vasquez attacked McMorrow, before later acknowledging that she had kicked him.

As per The New York Times, Abdela and Vasquez were found guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

Abdela pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea deal, while Vasquez was later separately found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Both teens were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Where are Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez now?

Little is known about where they are today and what they have gone on to do since, but they are both believed to be out of jail.

Abdela and Vasquez were both released from prison in 2004 after serving just over six years of their sentence.

Homicide: New York is available to watch on Netflix now.

Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guideand Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.