The suspected killer of Columbia grad student Davide Giri is a career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet. According to police, Vincent Pinkney, 25, was on supervised release from prison for brutally beating a man and slashing his face. Less than three years after coming out of prison, Pinkney stabbed Giri to death shortly after 11 pm on Thursday inside Morningside Park, in what police suspect to be an incident of attempted robbery.
Pinkney also stabbed another Italian tourist in Upper Manhattan 15 minutes later and was arrested from Central Park soon after the bloody rampage. A member of the Every Body Killas gang, Pinkney was arrested with the murder weapon. Pinkney is being held at the 26th Precinct with multiple charges pending, sources said.
Career Criminal
Moments after stabbing Giri to death, Pinkney was arrested from Central Park. A white-handled boning knife — with a 6-inch blade — was allegedly seized from him when he was busted. He is now being interrogated by cops, who revealed that the 25-year-old is member of the Every Body Killas gang and has a long rap sheet.
At 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, Pinkney has been arrested at least 11 times since 2012 on various charges including robbery and assault, law enforcement sources said. On Thursday, too he brutally assaulted and wounded an Italian tourist in Manhattan minutes after stabbing Giro to death.
The Manhattan resident was released from prison in June 2018 after serving a four-year sentence for a gang assault in Queens. Pinkney and three accomplices repeatedly slashed, punched and kicked the victim of that attack in a caught-on-camera rampage, according to court papers.
During the brutal attack, Pinkney and his accomplices pounced on their victim outside a mixed-use, corner building at 205-49 Linden Blvd. on Oct. 13, 2013, according to a criminal complaint.
The victim required 20 staples to close a gash on the back of his head and another 25 stitches from his right eye to his right ear, the document says. Following the assault, he was arrested and sent behind the bars for 4 years.
Seasoned Criminal
Besides he was also sentenced to four years of post-release supervision in the case, a requirement that is not set to expire until June 27. Pinkney's criminal history goes back a long way, when he was in his teens.
However, his family claims that despite spending time in jail, Pinkney isn't violent and they didn't know he was involved in gang activities. That although does match with the series of incidents that happened on Thursday.
About 15 minutes after Giri was stabbed to death by Pinkney, he attacked tourist Roberto Malaspina, 27 — who arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday —from behind while walking on West 110th near Columbus Avenue and stabbed in the back and the abdomen.
On the other hand, Giri, who was pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science, staggered out of the park and along West 123rd Street before collapsing near Amsterdam Avenue at around 10:50 p.m. Thursday. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Morningside hospital.
He is now being held and awaiting arraignment on a slew of charges, including murder and attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
