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ONE of the so-called Baby-Faced Butchers who was found guilty of manslaughter at just 16 has broken his silence on a Netflix docuseries that thrust his case back into the spotlight.
Christopher Vasquez exclusively spoke with The U.S. Sun after his story and the sick stabbing death of Michael McMorrow was featured in Homicide: New York.
Vasquez was released from prison 20 years ago after serving six years for McMorrow’s death.
He has stayed living in New York despite being at the center of one of the city’s most infamous cases in the 1990s.
Standing outside his home, Vasquez told The U.S. Sun, “I just wanna live my life and let the past be the past.”
On May 27, 1997, Vasquez and food industry heiress Daphne Abdela, both 15 at the time, were arrested after real estate worker McMorrow was found dead in Central Park.
McMorrow’s body had 38 stab wounds to the face, neck, and hands, and his intestines were floating over his corpse which was shoved in a pond.
The death was reported by Abdela, who told detectives that Vasquez attacked McMorrow when the middle-aged real-estate worker tried to come on to her.
The three were drinking together before the teens decided to go skinny-dipping without McMorrow.
After they got out of the water, the real-estate worker tried to make his move, Abdela told cops at the time.
She said she watched back in horror while Vasquez used his pocket knife to violently murder the 6-foot-1 man before stuffing his body with stones to sink it in the pond.
However, detectives were hesitant to believe the rich teen’s tale as they couldn’t see how a 15-year-old could overpower a 200-pound grown man by himself.
They also interviewed McMorrow’s family who admitted that the real-estate worker struggled with drinking but described him as happy-go-lucky and highly social.
After conducting an investigation, detectives presented Abdela and her lawyer with a slew of damning evidence, and she ended up accepting the manslaughter charge without having to go to trial.
Meanwhile, Vasquez stood trial and was found guilty of manslaughter the following year in 1998.
The sentencing brought mixed emotions to the courtroom as some jurors outright sobbed because they felt that Abdela was the true killing mastermind behind the crime, The New York Times reported at the time.
Witnesses described Vasquez as a quiet altar boy who kept to himself, and his family said at 9 years old he was diagnosed with agoraphobia, which is a fear of unpredictable situations that can cause anxiety.
However, McMorrow’s family believed he was a heartless killer and were dissatisfied that he would only spend three to 10 years behind bars.
“There is no doubt in our minds that Christopher Vasquez killed Michael in cold blood,” the victim’s 19-year-old nephew Matthew McMorrow said at the time.
“All the evidence points to him.”
WHERE IS HE NOW?
After the docuseries was released, viewers were left wondering what happened to Abdela and Vasquez.
The U.S. Sun pictured Abdela for the first time since her sentencing and gave an inside look at her quiet life on a New York City island.
Now, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that Vasquez, who is 42 now, is enjoying life in a large home in an affluent community in New York City.
The 1,800-square-foot two-story house is on a quiet street in the Bronx borough neighborhood of Mr. Vernon and is owned by Vasquez.
Pictures taken by The U.S. Sun show the large white home with dark blue shutters and a basement garage sitting on a large and lush green lawn.
In 2023, the local tax assessor valued the home at $555,000, according to public records.
The U.S. Sun visited the home and spoke with Vasquez at his doorstep.
When he was asked to voice his reaction to the Netflix documentary, Vasquez he made a desperate plea for peace.
The murder of Michael McMorrow
On May 23, 1997, Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez, both 15, met up with Michael McMorrow, 44, whom Daphne had met at Alcoholics Anonymous.
Later that night, Abdela called 911 to report that there was a body in a pond in Central Park.
First responders found McMorrow’s body covered with stab wounds.
At first, Abdela pointed the finger at Vasquez when she was confronted by police that same night.
However, detectives questioned how he could singlehandedly kill a 200-pound man.
The medical examiner later found bruises on McMorrow’s body that aligned with the bottom of Abdela’s skates.
SENTENCE SERVED
Vasquez hasn’t been arrested since he served six years in prison.
After he was released in 2004, his father Gerardo lashed out at reporters and begged the public for forgiveness on his son’s behalf, The New York Post reported at the time.
The dad threw punches at a reporter and smashed a photographer’s camera when they tried to cover Vasquez’s homecoming.
Once police came to the scene, Gerardo calmed down and briefly chatted with the Post.
He said at the time that he had been visiting his son for his entire stay in prison and just wanted to spend time with him.
“He paid his dues. He doesn’t owe anything more,” the dad said.
Because a murder trial for Abdela was never held, there are still questions over what happened the night of McMorrow’s death.
Death investigators said they found bruises on his corpse that were consistent with the bottom of Abdela’s rollerskates.
They told prosecutors and Abdela’s attorney in a private meeting that they believed she helped kick him to the ground and dragged his body into the pond.
The motivation behind the killing and who took McMorrow’s life are mysteries to this day.
