A man has been arrested and charged by police in New York investigating the murder of a 41-year-old Irish woman at the weekend.
Sarah McNally, from Co Longford, died from a stab wound to her neck, after being attacked at her place of work, The Céilí House pub in Maspeth, Queens on Saturday evening at approximately 6.30pm, by a man with whom she was in a relationship.
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Information (DCPI) said Marcin Pieciak (36), with an address in Queens, was arrested on Monday, April 1st, just after 12.30pm. He has been charged with one count of murder, and two of criminal possession of a weapon.
No details regarding when Mr Pieciak is to appear in court are available as yet.
Housing in Ireland is among the most expensive and most affordable in the EU. How does that happen?
Ceann comhairle election key task as 34th Dáil convenes for first time
Your EV questions answered: Am I better to drive my 13-year-old diesel until it dies than buy a new EV?
Workplace wrangles: Staying on the right side of your HR department, and more labrynthine aspects of employment law
Sarah McNally, who had lived in New York for close to ten years, had been employed at the popular Queens bar for just under a year, having worked at several other bars and restaurants in Manhattan and Queens during her tenure there.
On Saturday evening, a 911 call was made from the bar, situated at 69-56 Grand Avenue, in the Maspeth neighbourhood, which for several decades has been a destination for hundreds of young Irish emigrants, following reports of a woman being attacked by a man armed with two knives.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a woman, identified as Sarah McNally, severely injured with a stab wound to her neck, and a man nearby, since named as Pieciak, also suffering from knife wounds, though his were subsequently determined to have been self-inflicted.
Both were taken to nearby Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition, where Ms McNally later died from her injuries. The couple had lived together for several months on 76th Street, in the Glendale neighbourhood. There were no previous signs of domestic disturbance between them.
One friend, Lorna Fitzgerald, who grew up with Sarah, and spent time in New York, said: “Poor Sarah. We were in school together, my Mam and her Dad were cousins too. I can’t believe it. I was reading over our messages last night. She arrived in New York just as I was leaving it, so I was telling her about jobs, and places to hang out and so on. She settled in no time.
“She had been trying to get her Mam to move over, they were so close, like best friends. I think everyone is just in shock, it’s just not fair,” she said.
- Join us for The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast live in Belfast on April 10th
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date