NYC man killed elderly roommate over food feud and dumped his dismembered body in suitcase into East River, police say

New York police arrested a man over the gruesome discovery of the dismembered body of an elderly man in the East River.

The remains were found in a suitcase near Governors Island on Feb. 6 at about 5:30 p.m. by the NYPD Harbor Unit. Police reportedly found a man's torso, which was declared dead by EMS, according to WPVI-TV.

'It's just a shocker how you can have somebody stay at your home and they just blatantly just take your life as if it's nothing.'

On Wednesday, police said they had determined the victim to be 65-year-old Edwin Echevarria of Manhattan.

They then identified 23-year-old Christian Millet as a suspect in the man's murder. They said that Millet was Echevarria's roommate at his residence at 60 Columbia Street. Police also indicated that they had gotten into a dispute over food prior to the discovery of the man's remains.

Police told WABC-TV that they believe Millet knocked down Echevarria during the dispute and then stomped on his head. Afterward he allegedly stabbed the man about a dozen times before dismembering him in a bathtub.

Authorities said that Millet made statements to them linking himself to the crime.

Neighbors in the apartment building said that the elderly victim would sometimes refer to the younger roommate as his grandson.

"It's just a shocker how you can have somebody stay at your home and they just blatantly just take your life as if it's nothing," said one of the neighbors. "And then you sit there and tell the f**king cops like, oh, I don't know where he's at."

A relative of the victim said that he had recently retired from being a postal worker.

Police said Echevarria's remains were put into a sleeping bag, which was then stuffed into the suitcase before being tossed into the river.

Millet was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

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