THE so-called Baby-Faced Butcher has been spotted in New York City for the first time since her disturbing murder case was featured in a Netflix documentary.
Daphne Abdela looked unrecognizable on a Starbucks run decades after she was sent to prison for the brutal stabbing death of 44-year-old real estate worker Michael McMorrow.
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At just 15 years old, food industry heiress Abdela was accused of murdering and disemboweling McMorrow in Central Park on the night of May 23, 1997.
Prosecutors believed she and her friend Christopher Vasquez, also 15 at the time, attacked McMorrow after a night of drinking and left him with fatal injuries to his face, hands, and neck.
His body was found filled with stones and pushed into a pond in the Strawberry Fields section of the park, which is a landscaped memorial dedicated to former Beatles member John Lennon.
After the killing, Abdela called 911 to notify cops and tried to push the blame on Christopher, former New York Police Department detectives said in the Netflix series Homicide: New York.
However, cops found damning evidence that proved she was somehow involved, and she ultimately accepted a manslaughter charge as part of a plea deal.
Abdela pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison. She served six years before she was released in 2004.
She hasn't been pictured since her sentencing, raising questions about what happened after her life behind bars.
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Exclusive photos by The U.S. Sun show that Abdela is unrecognizable from the teen girl who appeared in a courtroom in 1997.
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At 41 years old, Abdela dramatically changed her look with a short haircut, an all-black outfit, and high-top sneakers.
Photos taken outside of a Starbucks also revealed that she now uses a cane to walk, which could stem from a car accident that allegedly left her disabled in 2009, according to a lawsuit.
My daughter grew up playing with infamous 'Baby-Faced Butcher' Daphne Abdela - she was 'always picking fights' even then
Abdela sued two drivers after getting in a wreck that allegedly left her "rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled, experiencing mental anguish and great pain and suffering," the New York Post reported at the time.
Court records seen by The U.S. Sun show that the case was closed, but it's unclear how it was resolved and whether her alleged injuries were discussed.
The U.S. Sun was able to confirm Abdela's identity after showing the photos to neighbors on the street where public records indicate she lives.
The neighbors did not wish to be interviewed but did confirm the woman in the photos was indeed Abdela.
The U.S. Sun made several attempts to get a comment or statement from Abdela, but she did not respond to door knocks or calls.
In 1997, Abdela's arrest was splashed across headlines in the city as she was the daughter of Angelo Abdela - a successful vice president of a major food company.
The sole adopted child of the executive and his former model wife, Abdela enjoyed all the privileges of growing up in New York City's desirable Upper West Side.
She landed a spot in the elite private school Columbia Grammar and Preparatory and grew up playing with other rich girls in the area, but her behavior was anything but grateful, according to witnesses.
The teen was described as brash and unmanageable by people who spent time with her and she preferred drinking and picking fights over studying, The New York Times reported in 1998.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, author Stella Sands, who wrote about McMorrow's murder, said, "She was just a bada**.
"She was difficult. She was tough-looking and would hang out on our street.
"She was not your sweet lovely little blonde girl."
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SHOCK MURDER
On the night of McMorrow's murder, Abdela met up with Vasquez, whom she had met in Central Park just a few weeks prior.
The two enjoyed roller skating and would meet up after school to skate around the park, according to witnesses.
At some point during the evening, they saw McMorrow, who became Abdela's drinking buddy after they met at Alcoholics Anonymous.
The trio grabbed some drinks and started hanging out like any other night.
But Abdela eventually made a harrowing 911 call in the early hours of the morning.
The murder of Michael McMorrow
On May 23, 1997, Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez, both 15, met up with Michael McMorrow, 44, whom Daphne had met at Alcoholics Anonymous.
Later that night, Abdela called 911 to report that there was a body in a pond in Central Park.
First responders found McMorrow's body covered with stab wounds.
Abdela pointed the finger at Vasquez when she was confronted by police that same night.
However, detectives questioned how he could singlehandedly kill a 200-pound man.
The medical examiner later found bruises on McMorrow's body that aligned with the bottom of Abdela's roller skates.
She told police that a body was in the pond, leading officers to race to her family's apartment and launch a massive search effort.
Crews found McMorrow's corpse with 38 stab wounds, including six to the heart, and saw his intestines floating in the water above him, detectives who worked the scene said in the Netflix doc.
While crews were looking for McMorrow's body, responding officers checked on Abdela and found her and Christopher washing blood off their bodies in a bathroom.
She cursed them out and told them to leave, but later admitted that she played a part in McMorrow's murder.
Abdela claimed that McMorrow, a middle-aged music fan who lived with his mother, had tried to kiss and grope her after the teens went skinny dipping.
This led Vasquez to grab his pocket knife and attack McMorrow while Abdela sat back and watched in horror, she told cops at the time.
Detectives found Vasquez's bloody knife, and the death investigator determined that the blood belonged to McMorrow.
Abdela later changed her story in a private meeting with prosecutors and the district attorney.
Detectives questioned how Vasquez was able to overpowera 6-foot-1 man who weighed around 200 pounds and believed that Abdela's allegations didn't align with McMorrow's character.
The medical examiner also found bruises on the real estate worker's body that were consistent with the bottom of Abdela's roller skates, which also had blood on them.
Detectives believed that Abdela helped to attack McMorrow and dragged his body into the pond.
She was just a bada**. She was difficult. She was tough-looking and would hang out on our street.
Stella SandsEx-neighbor of Abdela and author of Baby-Faced Butchers
All of this evidence was presented to Abdela and her lawyer Benjamin Brafman, a famous criminal defense attorney who represented the likes of Sean Combs, and a plea deal was made.
Meanwhile, Vasquez was found guilty of manslaughter in 1998, but several jury members believed that Abdela was the true murderer who got away, the New York Times reported.
Because Abdela never faced trial, there are still questions over what happened that night.
The motivation behind the killing and who took McMorrow's life are mysteries to this day.
Abdela and Vasquez were both convicted of manslaughter and served six years of their sentence before they were both released.
Neither of them have been arrested since their release.
After Abdela was released, a note was found taped to a park bench near where McMorrow's body was found," theNew York Postreported at the time.
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The letter, signed by "D," said, "Rest easy. I tried to save you.
"I'm sorry I failed you. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you & your family."
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