Valaree Schwab: New details in New Rochelle teen's stabbing death

NEW ROCHELLE - Minutes before she was stabbed to death with a steak knife, Valaree Schwab was punched and knocked to the ground so violently that she suffered a brain hemorrhage. 

The punch that felled Schwab came in the midst of a nearly hour-long ordeal at the hands of as many as 11 other teenagers, who allegedly stalked the 16-year-old New Rochelle High School junior and her boyfriend as they walked down North Avenue on Jan. 10.

As she lay on the sidewalk, someone in the group grabbed Schwab's house keys and a can of pepper spray she carried. Schwab, now alone, followed the group into a nearby Dunkin' Donuts in an attempt to get her keys back.

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She grabbed at 16-year-old Z'inah Brown's coat. Brown allegedly turned and stabbed Schwab twice, fatally wounding her before fleeing.  

The allegations are contained in hundreds of pages of court records reviewed by The Journal News/lohud that reveal new gripping details in the senseless death of one teenager and the criminal charges that will likely taint the lives of four others. 

In a statement the following day, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson called the incident "a profound and heartbreaking human tragedy." 

"It must now be our collective responsibility to consider the chain of events that led to this horrific outcome, and to reflect on how we can each in our own roles better serve our children," Bramson said. "For City and School officials, for law enforcement, for mental health professionals and social service providers, for mothers and fathers, this should be a moment not only of grief, but also of introspection."

'Rubber stamp' 

Brown, a Yonkers resident who was attending New Rochelle High School, surrendered to police the day after the incident. 

She was arraigned on April 3 on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree gang assault and first-degree stalking, as well as misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault, third-degree stalking and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. 

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Two other teenagers, Dominique Slack and Carl Booker, both 17, were charged with second-degree gang assualt and first-degree stalking, both felonies, and misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault and third-degree stalking. 

Also charged was a 15-year-old who was charged as a juvenile. 

All of them pleaded not guilty at their arraignments. 

In court papers, lawyers for the defendants questioned whether the vote to indict the teens amounted to a "rubber stamp" by the grand jury because deliberations went late into the evening. 

One attorney argued that his client's statement was "in contravention of the defendant's right against self-incrimination. Such statement was made as a result of coercion and was involuntary" based on the law. 

Lawyers for Slack and Booker also filed motions to have their cases tried separate from Brown's, as she faces the most serious charges in the case. 

But in a ruling earlier this month, Acting Supreme Court Justice Anne Minihan said it was "premature" to sever the cases, and denied motions to dismiss the indictment or, at this stage, to reject evidence presented by prosecutors. 

'Yelling and taunting'

The Journal News/lohud reviewed more than 400 pages of court filings in the case to piece together the series of events that lead to the fatal encounter. 

According to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, the incident began at 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 10, when Schwab had an argument with Booker at the New Rochelle High School campus. Schwab then left with her boyfriend, who is only identified as L.F.

The two were at a McDonald's restaurant at 720 North Ave. when Booker allegedly came in and challenged Schwab's boyfriend to a fight, and tried to get a friend to attack Schwab. The friend refused, but hurled water at the victim. 

Schwab, who carried a can of pepper spray, followed the friend outside and sprayed her.

Schwab and L.F. then walked to a Subway restaurant at 642 North Ave. Prosecutors claim that Brown and four others followed them, "yelling and taunting them in an aggressive manner as they walked down the street."

Booker then allegedly called Slack and asked her to join them at the restaurant "and physically attack Schwab." 

Schwab and L.F. remained in Subway for about 30 minutes, and the group grew to as many as 11 teenagers. The group taunted Schwab to come outside and fight.

At 12:11 p.m., the two left Subway, thinking the group had gone away. But once outside, one member of the group ran up and punched L.F. twice in the back of the head. L.F., in turn, pulled out a knife "in an attempt to get the group to back off."

Schwab and L.F. then went into another restaurant.

Fatal encounter

Minutes later, the two left, only to be pursued by Brown and another teenager. Slack, allegedly summoned by Booker, then arrived at the scene, prosecutors said.

According to the court filings, Slack then struck Schwab, knocking her to the ground. Schwab dropped her keys and the pepper spray she carried. In addition to cuts and bruises to her hands, arms and legs, prosecutors said Schwab suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage to the left side of her brain. 

Someone in the crowd picked up Schwab's keys and the pepper spray, and threw her key chain over a fence and into a parking lot. 

Brown, Slack and three others went into the Dunkin' Donuts, with Schwab following them inside, this time without L.F. 

"Schwab entered the restaurant alone, asked for her keys back, saying she just wanted to go home," according to the court papers. "As Brown started to walk toward the door, Schwab grabbed her coat."

Prosecutors claim that's when Brown turned and stabbed Schwab in the left side of her chest and back with the steak knife. Brown fled, allegedly throwing the knife into a nearby snowbank where it was later recovered by police.

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