In the days after police say Tyrese Haspil killed and dismembered tech CEO Fahim Saleh, surveillance video obtained by News 4 shows he was hiding in plain sight.
Haspil's hideout was a swanky $18,000 monthly AirBnb on Crosby Street in NoHo, less than a mile from the crime scene.
The former personal assistant is seen on video hopping out of an Uber with an overnight bag and backpack round 11 p.m. Wednesday as police continued their search for him.
Haspil emerges from the apartment two hours later picking up a foil balloon spelling out "22" for a woman who police sources say is his girlfriend; it was her 22nd birthday.
The pair is seen leaving for dinner and returning just before 7 p.m. with gifts and leftovers.
Within two days, surveillance video shows U.S. marshals and NYPD detectives leading him from the apartment in handcuffs.
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Prosecutors charged Haspil with murdering Saleh, 33, in the CEO's multimillion dollar Lower East Side apartment Monday and going back to dispose of his remains on Tuesday. Haspil was interrupted by Saleh's cousin who rang the doorbell to perform a welfare check on him after he hadn't been seen in 24 hours.
In court, prosecutors said there was "overwhelming evidence" that Haspil murdered his former boss. The motive is believed to be financial as Haspil is accused of stealing $90,000 from Saleh, who had actually presented him with a payment in lieu of going to police. It is unclear if any payments were made toward that debt.
News 4 first reported Friday Haspil was identified by identification cards that fell when he tased Saleh after the elevator opened into the LES apartment. Saleh was later stabbed and dismembered.
Haspil was caught on camera at Home Depot in Flatiron buying the saw and cleaning supplies found at the grisly crime scene, according to the criminal complaint.
His attorney's cautioned a rush to judgement in the case saying, "We are in the very earliest states of ferreting out the truth. The lift of this case promises to be long and complex."
"We urge the public to keep an open mind. There is much more to this narrative than the accusations, an arrest by the police, and a charge by the District Attorney," they wrote.
