Police have arrested the suspect who allegedly murdered a woman inside a Soho hotel earlier this month and fled the scene while wearing her leggings, police said Tuesday.
According to Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, Radd Almansoori, 26, was cuffed in Arizona, where he is believed to be wanted for several other attacks on women, authorities said.
Police paint a picture of Almansoori as a serial offender with a hatred of women, and who flies into fits of rage at a moment’s notice.
The NYPD had been tracking Almansoori since Feb. 8 after 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia was found beaten to death with an iron inside of her room at the SoHo 54 hotel on Watts Street. The mother was discovered wrapped in a blanket and had been struck so hard with an iron that pieces of plastic were lodged in her skull.
Detectives were said to be investigating whether Oleas-Arancibia — who checked into the hotel the day before she was found dead — was a sex worker.
The case took an even stranger turn when police obtained surveillance camera footage showing the man identified as Almansoori leaving the hotel wearing his victim’s leggings.
“We have video of the woman arriving at the location, wearing a distinct pair of leggings. And later on, we have a male leaving the hotel wearing the same leggings,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during a Feb. 15 briefing.
According to Kenny, the suspect’s pants were left at the scene covered in blood. Inside, police recovered a receipt which they used to track and identify Almansoori.
Almansoori had apparently contacted Oleas-Arancibia via phone and set up the meeting both through calls and text messages. Police believe Almansoori may have snapped in a fit of anger because he wanted to stay longer, which resulted in him bludgeoning his victim to death.
Meanwhile, the alleged killer returned to Arizona on Feb. 12, where police in the Grand Canyon State reported that on Feb. 17, he apparently stabbed a woman during a carjacking in Phoenix. One day later, he was arrested when he allegedly stabbed an employee of a McDonald’s restaurant.
“He dragged a female employee of the McDonald’s into the lady’s room, held her against her will, and stabbed her several times,” Chief Kenny said. “He was arrested in Scottsdale, AZ while driving a stolen car. While in the custody of Arizona law enforcement, he informs them that he’s wanted for homicide in New York City and tells the cops that they should Google the SoHo 54 Hotel.”
NYPD detectives are now awaiting Almansoori’s extradition to New York for arraignment on charges in Oleas-Arancibia’s murder. He is presently charged in Maricopa County, AZ with homicide, assault, theft and robbery.
Almansoori allegedly has a history of visiting sex workers, including meeting an escort in the days leading up to the New York murder. When he was cuffed, he apparently also told police that he had “hurt” three other women in Florida.
This has led the NYPD to ask for help from both the public and other police departments to contact them if they believe Almansoori has been in their area.
“We are asking the public as well as other law enforcement agencies throughout the country to reach out to us they have any further information,” Chief Kenny said.
Anyone who believes they may have interacted with Almansoori, or had seen him in their area, is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
