NEW YORK – A bar bouncer accused of killing a graduate student in February was charged Thursday with the 2005 abduction of another woman, who told he had posed as a law enforcement officer.
Darryl Littlejohn, 41, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on charges of kidnapping, assault, robbery and criminal impersonation.
He was already in custody without bail and had pleaded not guilty to murder charges for the death of Imette St. Guillen, a Boston native enrolled in the graduate program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
"He's going to maintain his innocence until the day he dies," Defense attorney Kevin O'Donnell said. "He did not touch this woman. He has not touched in a criminal manner in his entire life."
Authorities say DNA evidence links Littlejohn to both crimes.
According to Assistant District Attorney Frank DeGaetano, Littlejohn abducted a 19-year-old woman on Oct. 19, 2005, in Queens. He was wearing what appeared to be a law enforcement uniform when he grabbed the woman, handcuffed her and forced her into a van, the prosecutor said. The woman managed to escape with just bruises.
DeGaetano said DNA from the handcuffs was matched to Littlejohn, and the victim was able to identify the suspect's van.
In February, Littlejohn, a parolee with a long criminal history, was working at a SoHo bar in Manhattan, where St. Guillen was last seen alive. Her body was found dumped in Brooklyn on Feb. 25. Authorities said she had been raped, strangled and suffocated.
A manager at the bar where she was last seen told police that Littlejohn escorted St. Guillen out after closing time and he heard them arguing.
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