A homeless career criminal was indicted Wednesday in New York City for the brutal murder of 35-year-old executive Christina Yuan Lee, as it was revealed in a court filing that he claimed the woman was his 'friend' and that he was trying to 'help' her - an apparent attempt to blame the stabbing on someone else.

He also tried impersonating her voice while speaking with police prior to their entry into the Chinatown apartment, telling officers: ‘We don’t need the police here — go away.’

Assamad Nash, 25, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday and was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, burglary and burglary as a sexually motivated felony. He pleaded not guilty to those counts through his attorney. 

Lee's killing last month, which came amid a dramatic increase in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans, shocked the city and renewed questions about New York state's controversial bail reforms, after it was revealed Nash was a serial offender out on supervised release stemming from a robbery. 

'Today’s indictment marks the beginning of our pursuit of justice in the name of Christina Yuna Lee, a bright and beloved New Yorker who should not have had her life cut short in such a violent, shocking manner in her own home,' stated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

'Ms. Yuna Lee’s death not only devastated her loved ones, but struck fear into the hearts of our AAPI neighbors, who have already suffered far too much pain in recent years. All New Yorkers deserve to be safe and secure, and we will ensure accountability for this senseless murder.' 

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Assamad Nash, 25, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday and was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, burglary and burglary as a sexually motivated felony

Nash, a homeless career criminal, is accused of following Christina Yuan Lee home and stabbing her 40 times in her bathtub with her own kitchen knife in February 

Nash pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could land him in prison for the rest of his life, if he is convicted 

Lee, 35, a senior creative producer, was stabbed 40 times inside her apartment after being followed by the suspect 

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According to the indictment, at the time of his arrest, Nash made a series of false statements seeking to convince the police that another attacker was responsible for Lee's killing, and that he was injured trying to protect the woman. 

Assamad Nash's lengthy criminal history

Transportation fraud and drug charge

Nash was arrested last September 23 for using an unlimited subway fair card to admit other riders through the turnstile for a fee. An arresting officer allegedly found synthetic cannabinoid in his pocket.

He was charged with the unauthorized sale of certain transportation services, and possession of synthetic phenethylamines and synthetic cannabinoids.

He was released on his own recognizance.

Assault

Nash was arrested last September 28 for punching a man with a closed fist, 'causing redness and swelling' to the victim's right eye and 'substantial pain'.

He was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of second-degree aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment. 

He was released on his own recognizance. 

Criminal mischief 

Nash was arrested January 6 following a string of 27 MetroCard Vending Machine vandalisms between December 9 and December 31.

He attempted to escape while being arrested and was charged with 27 counts of criminal mischief, one count of attempted escape, escape in the third degree, and resisting arrest.

He was given supervised release. 

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'I tried to help my friend out,' Nash allegedly said. 'I was trying to help this female getting hurt by other people. I was trying to help the lady.'

On the morning of February 13, Lee, a senior creative producer at the music streaming platform Splice, was returning from a club to her apartment in Chinatown when prosecutors said Nash followed her.

Security video captured Nash creeping into the building on Chrystie Street behind Lee, who didn't notice her stalker had slipped in before the front door had closed behind her. 

Nash kept his distance as the digital producer climbed the six flights to her apartment, climbing up one floor below as she went.

He rushed her as Lee unlocked her front door and entered her apartment, police said.

Neighbors were awakened at 4:20 a.m. to Lee's blood-curdling screams of 'Please, help me. Call 911,' and one of them immediately summoned police. 

Officers responded to the scene within minutes, but Nash had barricaded himself inside the apartment and tried to get them to leave by making several contradictory statements. 

'I am alone in the apartment. We are ok. No one is bleeding. We don't need help. You broke my door. Go away. We don't need the police, I am fine,' Nash was seen saying on body camera footage, according to the indictment.

Nash then attempted to flee the apartment through the fire escape with a yellow object in his hand but went back inside after seeing a police officer on the roof above him, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.  

When officers finally broke down the door to Lee's apartment 90 minutes later, they found the  partially naked woman bleeding to death from 40 wounds to her torso, head and neck inside the bathtub.  

Nash was discovered hiding under a mattress inside Lee's apartment. A bloodstained yellow-handed knife from Lee's kitchen set was found stashed behind a dresser.  

As Nash was being transported to a hospital to be treated for cuts, which he claimed  had been inflicted by the bogus attacker who 'stabbed us up,' he feigned concern for his victim, reported the New York Post.

Lee was returning home from a club in the early hours of February 13 when Nash allegedly followed her, as seen above on surveillance video 

According to an indictment, Nash lied that Lee (pictured) was his friend, and that he was trying to protect her from a mystery attacker 

'How is the girl in the apartment? Is she ok? he was quoted in the indictment as asking, according to ABC News. 'We were partying and the dude escaped.'

Upon his arrival at Bellevue Hospital, Nash reiterated that he did not stab Lee and that he was 'trying to protect the lady,' the court filing stated.

During an interview with a detective, Nash argued that if Lee's killing was not caught on video, 'how can they say it's me?'

At the time of his arrest, Nash was out on supervised release stemming from four open cases, including punching 63-year-old David Elliot in a subway station. 

Elliot, who works at Rutgers University, told The New York Post he was shocked the 'clearly' mentally ill Nash was free to roam the streets after attacking him at Grand Central Station.

Nash is pictured in court during his initial arraignment a day after his arrest

'I was watching the news at 5 o'clock, and I seen them taking him out of the apartment and I said, 'That's the guy that f***ing hit me!'' Elliot said.

'He shouldn't have been out on the streets — hell no.' 

Nash, who lived at a homeless shelter, has an extensive criminal record, which includes a slew of arrests resulting in misdemeanor charges of assault, intentional damage to property, harassment, resisting arrest, both attempted and successful escape from police officers and selling a fare card. 

If convicted of Lee's murder, he could face up to a life in prison without the possibility of parole. Nash is due back in court on July 18.    

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