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Woman beaten to death at Times Square nightclub; body found on club's roof
Daily News: August 7, 2008
A 24-year-old Queens woman was beaten to death at a Times Square club packed with rap royalty celebrating Lil' Kim's birthday, and the prime suspects are club employees, police sources said.
A maintenance worker Wednesday found Ingrid (China) Rivera's battered body stuffed in a rooftop electrical room above Spotlight Live, the karaoke bar where patrons wait in long lines to sing with celebrities.
She had been missing since Sunday when, wearing a blue dress and silver heels, she spent the night at Lil' Kim's bash, which was attended by Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Lamar Odom and Wyclef Jean.
A spokesman for the rap diva said she did not know Rivera and knew nothing of the attack until Wednesday night.
Rivera, a ticket agent for British Airways at Kennedy Airport, got into a fight with a club manager after he found her drunk in the men's bathroom, sources said.
He ordered bouncers to toss her out, and as she left, a friend, Sasha Castillo, tried to follow her, sources and relatives said.
Bouncers allegedly refused to let Castillo leave, a claim that Rivera's family rebuts, saying she left her wasted friend to fend for herself.
"Sasha said she tried to go outside to meet up with Ingrid, but the bouncers wouldn't let her," said Rivera's cousin Andrea Perez. "We don't think that's true. Sasha was having fun and just left her outside.
"
Once Castillo made it onto the street, Rivera had disappeared, and her cell phone was turned off, sources said.
Castillo could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Rivera's mother, Ingrid Estrada, 48, called police Tuesday after not hearing from her daughter, who lived with her.
"My only daughter, I have no more daughter," Estrada said between sobs Wednesday night. "I was a single mother for all my life. I work hard for her.
"
"The truth I don't know," Estrada said. "All I know is my daughter is not alive, that somebody killed her.
"
Rivera suffered a fatal blow to the back of the head.
Cops said the club's bouncers are possible suspects, which doesn't come as a surprise to some employees and clubgoers.
"It wouldn't surprise me if it was the bouncers," said Josh Johnson, the VIP host at Spotlight. "A lot of the bouncers, if you give them a hard time, they get really tough and rowdy. They're tough guys. You don't want to mess with them. That's actually a problem at the club.
"
Emilio Rodriguez, 31, a regular at the club, said he had an argument with bouncers about their treatment of customers hours before Rivera was killed.
"I was telling them that they're way too abusive. They manhandle the customers and get out of control," he said. "The bouncer started getting angry and asking me if I was a detective or something.
"
Even police were aware of the danger drunken patrons face.
"The bouncers have a rep at this club for being really heavy-handed, roughing people up, even the women," a police source said.
Spotlight closed early Wednesday night and canceled a private party. E-mails and phone calls seeking comment were not returned.
agendar@nydailynews.com
Daily News: August 7, 2008
A 24-year-old Queens woman was beaten to death at a Times Square club packed with rap royalty celebrating Lil' Kim's birthday, and the prime suspects are club employees, police sources said.
A maintenance worker Wednesday found Ingrid (China) Rivera's battered body stuffed in a rooftop electrical room above Spotlight Live, the karaoke bar where patrons wait in long lines to sing with celebrities.
She had been missing since Sunday when, wearing a blue dress and silver heels, she spent the night at Lil' Kim's bash, which was attended by Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Lamar Odom and Wyclef Jean.
A spokesman for the rap diva said she did not know Rivera and knew nothing of the attack until Wednesday night.
Rivera, a ticket agent for British Airways at Kennedy Airport, got into a fight with a club manager after he found her drunk in the men's bathroom, sources said.
He ordered bouncers to toss her out, and as she left, a friend, Sasha Castillo, tried to follow her, sources and relatives said.
Bouncers allegedly refused to let Castillo leave, a claim that Rivera's family rebuts, saying she left her wasted friend to fend for herself.
"Sasha said she tried to go outside to meet up with Ingrid, but the bouncers wouldn't let her," said Rivera's cousin Andrea Perez. "We don't think that's true. Sasha was having fun and just left her outside.
"
Once Castillo made it onto the street, Rivera had disappeared, and her cell phone was turned off, sources said.
Castillo could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Rivera's mother, Ingrid Estrada, 48, called police Tuesday after not hearing from her daughter, who lived with her.
"My only daughter, I have no more daughter," Estrada said between sobs Wednesday night. "I was a single mother for all my life. I work hard for her.
"
"The truth I don't know," Estrada said. "All I know is my daughter is not alive, that somebody killed her.
"
Rivera suffered a fatal blow to the back of the head.
Cops said the club's bouncers are possible suspects, which doesn't come as a surprise to some employees and clubgoers.
"It wouldn't surprise me if it was the bouncers," said Josh Johnson, the VIP host at Spotlight. "A lot of the bouncers, if you give them a hard time, they get really tough and rowdy. They're tough guys. You don't want to mess with them. That's actually a problem at the club.
"
Emilio Rodriguez, 31, a regular at the club, said he had an argument with bouncers about their treatment of customers hours before Rivera was killed.
"I was telling them that they're way too abusive. They manhandle the customers and get out of control," he said. "The bouncer started getting angry and asking me if I was a detective or something.
"
Even police were aware of the danger drunken patrons face.
"The bouncers have a rep at this club for being really heavy-handed, roughing people up, even the women," a police source said.
Spotlight closed early Wednesday night and canceled a private party. E-mails and phone calls seeking comment were not returned.
agendar@nydailynews.com
