Woman Attacked on Long Island
Police and Medical Officials Say Pattern is Similar
Hollie Mead, New York Times Reporter
LONG ISLAND, NY- 4:34 pm
A woman was attacked last night on the way to her car from a Long Island gym. Stefana Morelli, wife of councilman Joe Morelli, says that she was walking to her car after her evening work-out when a person clothed entirely in black and wearing a white Mardi Gras mask grabbed her and pulled her into the bushes.
Morelli, a former private investigator, says that the person had a voice disguiser and before they slashed her face, whispered "Beauty is a curse on the world". According to Morelli, the person--whose sex was still undetermined at the time of this writing--pulled a knife and slashed her face from the ear down to the corner of her mouth on both sides.
Detective Rita Ortiz and Leutenant Dara Bertolli were called to the scene and Mrs. Morelli was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center, in Long Island, via ambulance where Drs. Natalie Palermo and Christian Troy were waiting.
I was able to catch up with Dr. Troy earlier today. Troy, a native of Miami, Florida, has his own plastic surgery practice with his partner, Dr. Sean McNamara, also a native of Miami, Florida.
"Mrs. Morelli's wounds were similar to the pattern of wounds that a deranged lunatic down in Florida did," Dr. Troy said. "The police dubbed this person as 'The Carver' and it was common practice for the person to first rape their victims and then carve them. Mrs. Morelli was very fortunate that this person did not rape her as well."
The Carver stalked the Miami-Dade area for a period of two years and then seemingly vanished into thin air. Dr. Troy conveyed concern that perhaps he's resurfaced here in New York because of his and Dr. McNamara's ties to the crimes. Both doctors were victims of the Carver, however, Dr. McNamara was fortunate to escape sexual assault, while Dr. Troy wasn't as lucky.
Dr. Troy also went on to say that he and Dr. McNamara repaired the faces of the victims in Miami pro-bono and says that, if necessary, they will repeat their generosity here in New York as well.
