Who Are Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez? Inside the 1997 Central Park Killing

Daphne Abdela and her boyfriend, Christopher Vasquez, were convicted of first-degree manslaughter almost 28 years ago. They were just teenagers when they committed one of the most brutal killings in the history of New York City.

In 1997, Abdela and Vasquez were just 15-year-old high school students. Abdela was the daughter of a wealthy couple from Upper West Side, and Vasquez was the son of a single mother in East Harlem. They have been described as social outcasts who had formed a close bond after they met earlier the same year when the stabbing incident occurred.

Abdela had a troubled background and her hostile attitude had gotten her kicked out of several schools, according to a report published by the New York Magazine.

Abdela and Vasquez were rollerblading in Central Park when they encountered McMorrow drinking along with a group of friends, according to reports from Homicide: New York. It wasn’t long before the teens joined in and lured McMorriw away from the crowd.

Exactly what transpired next is not known for sure, but by the early hours of May 23 1997, McMorrow had been fatally stabbed over 30 times, his body was gutted and was floating in the Central Park Lake.

Abdela, as an infant, was adopted by Angelo Abdela, a successful businessman at an international food company and his wife, Catherine, a French model. She lived a life of incredible privilege with her parents in a luxury apartment building on the Upper West Side, according to several reports.

Although Abdela had a normal upbringing, attending a local private high school, she changed as she got older. She eventually transferred schools twice, and her parents then considered sending her to a boarding school.

Meanwhile, Vasquez came from a much less affluent background and was raised in East Harlem by his single mother. He was a Boy Scout and an altar boy, known for causing trouble, even getting picked on in school for being introverted. He dealth with agoraphobia, according to the report of New York magazine. Vasquez often struggled with social situations and making friends.

Things changed, though, when Abdela and Vasquez met in 1997, connecting over their love of rollerblading.

McMorrow was a lifelong Manhattan resident who grew up on the Upper West Side. In 1997, he lived alongside his elderly mother. According to his friends, he was well-connected and popular, working in real estate.

At times, McMorrow struggled with alcohol, and although he was making efforts to recover, he continued to drink, sometimes meeting friends in Central Park after work to have a beer. It was there that he was ultimately killed.

According to a police statement mentioned later in court, Abdela had interacted with McMorrow at Central Park just two weeks before the killing. Abdela was smoking marijuana in the park, while McMorrow was also there drinking. They interacted briefly, trading a beer for cigarettes, rolling paper, and other drugs like LSD.

On May 22, both Abdela and Vasquez met up to spend time together in Central Park. According to reports of Homocide: New York, the pair had agreed to start dating that day and then went rollerblading together in the park. Later, they both started drinking and came across a group of men, including McMorrow. What happened next is unclear, which ultimately led to the death of McMorrow.

In the late evening, they were all drinking together; however, drunken McMorrow joined the two near the edge of the lake in Central Park, where they continued drinking. In the early hours of the morning, a violent confrontation unfolded, with the two teenagers attacking McMorrrow. Despite his size, McMorrow was mutilated.

Not much is known about Abdela and Vasquez after their release from prison. They were both returned to New York City after their release and maintained a low profile.