A Bronx man was sentenced for killing his cousin in East Harlem and hiding her body.
Khalid Barrow, 23, was convicted of murder, concealment of a human corpse, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property on Nov. 29 in connection to the murder of his cousin, 35-year-old Nisaa Walcott. On Dec. 20, Barrow was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison.
“The defendant’s criminal conduct was an unspeakable betrayal,” said District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “Khalid Barrow strangled his cousin in her own home, all for his own financial gain. I am amazed by the resiliency of Nisaa Walcott’s family members, who have persevered through the horrific murder of their loved one by her own cousin. They attended the trial every single day, listening to incredibly disturbing testimony. No sentence can undo this family’s pain, but I hope they continue to heal from this terrible loss.”
According to trial documents, on Feb. 16, 2022, Barrow intentionally asphyxiated Walcott in her apartment, where he was also staying at the time. After killing Walcott, Barrow then bound her ankles with a wifi cord and hid her body in a plastic tub lined with fabric scraps. Barrow then put the tub in a storage room before cleaning the apartment with bleach.
Barrow then began to impersonate Walcott in text messages in an effort to evade detection, sending messages to Walcott’s 14-year-old son from her phone. He proceeded to manipulate the teen into leaving the door unlocked and by asking for her EBT account’s PIN. Barrow also impersonated his cousin to her coworkers and other relatives, hoping that no one would come to the apartment.
