The boyfriend of an Irish bartender has been arrested for allegedly stabbing her in the neck during a broad daylight attack witnessed by shocked patrons. Marcin Pieciak, 36, was arrested on Monday and charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed Sarah McNally, 41, at The Ceili House in Queens, New York City, on Saturday.
A source speculated to the New York Post at that time that McNally's attacker may have been in a relationship with her, saying: "She was just standing there talking, her boyfriend came in and he just walked right in and stabbed her." "Then he started trying to stab himself. Horrible. Just horrible," the witness added.
Arrested for Killer His Girlfriend
Pieciak has also been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Witnesses claimed that he also turned the knife on himself during the attack. Police responded to the Irish bar at 6:34 pm on Saturday, where they found both McNally and another person with stab wounds to their necks.
It was not immediately clear if this person was Pieciak.
Cops used a Taser on the suspected assailant as he reportedly held a knife in each hand and refused to comply with commands to relinquish the weapons.
Both individuals were transported to NYC Health and Hospitals in Elmhurst in critical condition. Unfortunately, McNally succumbed to her injuries and died.
McNally, originally from Longford, Ireland, had reportedly been living in New York for a decade and was living with her boyfriend at the time of the incident.
While initial reports suggest that the couple had no prior history of domestic violence, the New York Daily News reported that Pieciak had previously been arrested for such incidents.
As of now, no motive has been revealed for the stabbing incident.
An NYPD spokesperson informed Fox News that Pieciak did not have a previous arrest history in New York City.
Convoluted Case of Murder
Mike Lambe, a 62-year-old resident of the neighborhood, described McNally as a "sweet, innocent girl from Longford" who had been employed at the bar for less than a year. McNally's mother, Dorrie O'Connor, told the Irish Mirror from her home in Longford, saying, "My daughter was murdered. There is nothing else to say."
A regular patron at the Queens watering hole, Mike Green, told NY Daily News that he was familiar with the couple and remarked, "I still can't believe it."
"They was (sic) always together," he said, referring to the alleged killer 'M' as "cool."
"Both of them. That's why it blew my mind a little bit... Sarah is good people. She helps people. Everybody owes her money."
Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Monahan told the Irish Independent: "The people of Longford will be saddened and shocked by the demise of a young life, someone who had built a life for herself in New York."
"For such a young life to be so tragically ended in such violent circumstances, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in the Queens area of New York that new her and her mother and father in Longford as well as her extended family."
