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Aspiring Transgender Model Accused Of Murdering Father, Injuring Sister In Staged Home Invasion
Nikki Secondino allegedly ran to neighbors for help, claiming two masked intruders broke into her Brooklyn apartment and demanded money. Now, she is charged with her father's murder and sister's attempted murder.
An aspiring transgender model is under arrest for allegedly murdering her father in what was initially believed to be a home invasion gone wrong.
Nikki Secondino, 22, is charged with murder, attempted murder and other weapon-related crimes after police say she fatally stabbed her father, 61-year-old Carlo Secondino, and critically injured her 19-year-old sister in a pre-dawn attack Thursday morning, according to New York City’s WPIX.
NYPD responded to the second-story Bensonhurst apartment in Brooklyn shortly before 6:00 a.m., according to CBS New York City affiliate WCBS-TV. Multiple outlets say Nikki sustained apparent injuries to her hands, described as slash or stab wounds, though it remains unclear if they were self-inflicted.
“Upon arrival, officers observed three total persons with sustained stab wounds,” the NYPD said in a statement to Oxygen.com.
Police say Nikki Secondino was treated at NYU’s Langone Medical Center in Brooklyn prior to her arrest.
Nikki allegedly ran to neighbors for help following the attack, claiming that two masked men forced their way into the 17th Avenue apartment and demanded money.
Police searched for two suspects on Thursday, though none were apprehended.
Now, sources within the NYPD are saying Nikki allegedly recanted claims of masked intruders and confessed to the attack, according to multiple media sources, including NBC New York City affiliate WNBC and the aforementioned outlets.
A neighbor — whose face was obscured on camera — told WNBC reporters she could hear what sounded like bodies slamming against the walls of the Secondinos’ residence before Nikki sought help from neighbors.
“I saw the blood in the hallway, and that’s when I got shaken up,” said the neighbor. “I saw the blood in the hallway and closed the door and locked it.”
Carlo Secondino, who once worked on Wall Street and recently gained employment as a delivery driver for Mike’s Diner in Brooklyn, was dead on the scene.
As of WNBC’s Friday morning report, the suspect’s sister — whom the New York Daily News identified as Liana Secondino — is still fighting for her life at the Maimonides Medical Center.
Neighbors told investigators there was often conflict at the Secondino residence. Joe Pagano, who worked at a nearby pest control company, told the Daily News there were “domestic problems” at the home.
“I’m talking black eyes,” Pagano stated. “It’s such a shame that this happened. But who knows what really happened?”
Nikki Secondino was open on social media, where she boasts more than 15,000 followers, about being transgender and reportedly gained the support of her father, who allegedly paid for her gender reassignment surgery years ago, according to the Daily News.
Carlo’s employer, Yadira Gomez, said Carlo “supported [Nikki] 100%” but that the father-daughter duo often fought.
“He will just tell you, ‘she’s crazy; she’s fighting all the time,’” Gomez told the Daily News. “Like, she’s all the time fighting… he would just say she has problems.”
Nikki was led away in handcuffs from Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct on Thursday evening and seemingly grinned at reporters, according to photos published by the New York Post.
A motive has not been revealed.
Nikki Secondino is expected to be arraigned Friday in a Brooklyn courtroom, according to WCBS-TV.
