In a day in court that was at times chilling, and at times ridiculous, accused murderer Nick Brooks pleaded not guilty to charges that he strangled and drowned his girlfriend Sylvie Cachay in the Soho House last month. Admitting that the two had just had a fight, the 24-year-old claimed in front of Sylvie’s brothers that he left the swimsuit designer in bed alone at the Soho House to go meet a friend in the wee hours of December 9. After meeting the friend at Employee’s Only, he said he then hung out at an apartment drinking Coronas and doing cocaine — only to discover there was trouble upon returning to the hotel and finding cops there. But the prosecution pointed out that the bathtub, where Sylvie was found, was already overflowing and disturbing hotel guests in the rooms below before Brooks claims to have even left the room. “The evidence in this case makes clear that when Nicholas Brooks left Soho House for the last time on December 9, Sylvie Cachay was already dead,” prosecutor Jordan Arnold told Manhattan Supreme Court justice Bonnie Wittner, according to the Post. “Truly it was disgusting to see this cowardly individual,” said Sylvie’s brother Patrick, who was in from Peru for the trial. “It was definitely important to see that he was in custody.”
The tabloid also relayed some of the strange details from the police reports that were filed the day after Brooks was arrested:
“How long can I get for something like this,” he asked detectives, according to the newly-released police statements. “Will I get bail? I have money in a trust fund, but I have to get the money in person,” he announced…
“Should I pay someone for protection while I’m in?” the paranoid-sounding Brooks asked detectives during the drive to Central Booking, according to the police statements.
This is going to be one long, ugly trial.
Nick Brooks pleads not guilty to murder charge in Sylvie Cachay’s death [NYP]
