The Irish soccer player accused of stabbing to death his crime scene investigator girlfriend told police he choked her once during rough sex, according to reports.
Police arrested Gary McGurk at his mother's house in Sunnyside on Thursday night, nearly a month after Michelle Lee's naked body was discovered tied to a bed in her Woodside, Queens, apartment. The 24-year-old was stabbed in the throat and her chest had been burned with a hot iron after she died.
"Sometimes when we did the bondage we did the asphyxiation....I would be on top and choke her," McGurk, 23, told police, according to The New York Daily News.
"One time, Michelle got very angry. She forgot to tap my wrist to stop choking her. We decided never to do that again."
Lee, a John Jay graduate, was hired in September to work uncovering forensic crime-scene evidence at an NYPD crime lab.
“The young woman had a bright and promising future which was abruptly cut short by her brutal and senseless murder, allegedly at the hands of the defendant," Queens D.A. Richard Brown said.
McGurk conned Lee out of thousands of dollars while they dated, a source told The News. He allegedly convinced her to give him money after telling her he had cancer and could not afford medical insurance. Police said they believe Lee was not the first woman to fall for McGurk's tale of lies, according to The News report.
McGurk is being held on charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon. His attorney says he's innocent. Police were afraid he'd flee the country to his native Ireland, The News reported.
The John Jay College student faces a maximum 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
Attorney information for McGurk wasn't immediately available.
