Friends and loved ones have placed flowers on Cooper Square where Elizabeth Lee was reportedly gunned down on Wednesday morning by a onetime boyfriend who had been stalking her.
Lee, who was 56, lived on the Upper East Side and worked at Grace Church School on Cooper Square. According to published reports, she had just docked a Citi Bike when Vincent Verdi approached her and shot her twice. He then reportedly shot himself in the head. Verdi, 62, is in critical condition at Bellevue.
The Daily News delves into his past.
He reportedly worked for the CIA and the Defense Department in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, for years.
The person close to him said Verdi suffered from severe depression from his years in the combat theater, and that may have contributed to his shocking crime.
“I think it has to do with him dealing with suicidal depression since he came back from Afghanistan,” the person said. “He was never the same person. And he had told the military that he needed to get help and they just ignored it.”
“That does not make up for his actions. I’m totally horrified by his actions. I can’t even express how sad I am for his family.”
Also:
Verdi has five sealed arrests in Florida for battery, domestic violence, lewd and lascivious behavior and fraud stretching over the past 30 years, police sources said.
Collegaues at Grace Church School remembered Lee as someone who really cared about the students.
Olivia Nunez, 34, met Lee-Herman a decade ago when they worked at Go Project, a nonprofit organization.
“She was really kind,” she said. “Welcoming. Always had a smile on her face. She was just the sweetest, sweetest person.”
