Lyric Benson Murder-Suicide
April 25, 2003, 12:16 p.m.
Gothamist was disturbed by news this morning about the murder of Lyric
Gothamist was disturbed by news this morning about the murder of Lyric Benson by her ex-boyfriend, Robert Ambrosino who then killed himself. Benson, an aspiring actress, had arrived back at her home in Chinatown with her mother, who was visiting from out of town. Ambrosino appeared behind Benson, shot her in the head, and then took the gun to his head. And, from The Daily News:
Sources said the couple had broken up amicably because Benson wanted to focus on her acting career.
NYPD spokesman Sgt. Mike Wysokowski said there was no history of domestic violence and no complaints from the two-bedroom walkup apartment on Monitor St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that Benson and Ambrosino had shared until February.
"Both people were very friendly. Lyric was always smiling. Bobby was very nice, too," said Ron Hansen, 40, the couple's landlord. "Even when she moved out a month or two ago, they were very cordial. They never, ever fought. Never."
There is an unfortunate pattern of violence during and after relationships - no one ever thinks anything bad will happen. As a self-defense teacher said to Gothamist, there's no such thing as an amicable breakup. It's sad that in our own memory, Gothamist remembers two similar cases:
- During Gothamist's senior year at Columbia, there was a murder across the street on West 113th, when Columbia law student, Hyseung Lynda Hong, was killed by ex-boyfriend Edmund Ko in 1998. Ko was apparently trying to prove his love to his current jealous girlfriend by slashing Hong's throat. (Ko was later found guilty and sentenced to life.
- In 2000, Tom Nelford, a Columbia student, killed his girlfriend, Kathleen Roskot, at her Columbia dorm, and then committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. The media surrounding the Roskot-Nelford murder suicide was intense (Ivy League Murder-Suicide) and prompted articles about on-campus awareness programs about dating violence and college pressures and mental illness.
Coverage of the Lyric Benson murder from The Times and NY Post.
Information about dating violence and violence against women (as they tend to be the victims in these situations).
Updated May 4, 2003: Lyric Benson and Bob Ambrosino's Relationship, as deconstructed by the NY Times
Other related posts: Lyric Benson's almost fame and Fund for Lyric Benson's family
Gothamist on other strange NYC crimes: Tribeca Kidnapping, East Village stabbing, Brooklyn Pipe Bomb, Orchard Street Murder, Shopkeeper Killer