Davide Giri, a 30-year-old Columbia University doctoral student, was fatally stabbed on the night of December 2, 2021, as he walked home from soccer practice near Morningside Park in Manhattan. The attack was part of a brief spree by Vincent Pinkney, 25, who also stabbed a second man and threatened a third before police arrested him in Central Park less than an hour later. Pinkney was charged with murder and attempted murder, but a judge later found him mentally unfit for trial, and the case has been adjourned indefinitely.
What Happened That Night
Shortly before 11 p.m. on a Thursday, Giri was walking home from a practice with his team, NY International FC, when he was stabbed in the abdomen near Morningside Park.1New York Post. Columbia University Student Davide Giri Killed in NYC Stabbing He made it to the corner of West 123rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, about two blocks from his apartment, before collapsing. He was taken to Mount Sinai-Saint Luke’s Hospital and pronounced dead there.2New York Times. Columbia Student Stabbed Near Campus
About fifteen minutes later, Roberto Malaspina, a 27-year-old Italian visiting scholar working at Columbia’s School of the Arts, was stabbed in the torso near West 110th Street and Cathedral Parkway. Witnesses said the attacker approached him from behind.1New York Post. Columbia University Student Davide Giri Killed in NYC Stabbing3ABC7 New York. Roberto Malaspina, Second Victim Stabbed Near Columbia University4NBC New York. Columbia Student Killed in NYC Stabbing Spree Remembered at Candlelight Vigil
Soon after, officers responded to a report of a man threatening a third person with a knife inside Central Park. Vincent Pinkney was arrested near West 104th Street and Central Park West. The third man was not injured.5Gothamist. Columbia U Ramps Security After Fatal Stabbing of Grad Student
Who Vincent Pinkney Is
Pinkney, a Harlem resident, was charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, attempted assault, and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon.6Columbia Spectator. SEAS Doctoral Student, 30, Dead Following Stabbing on 123rd and Amsterdam Police sources identified him as a member of “EBK,” or “Every Body Killas,” which the New York Post described as an offshoot of the Bloods.7New York Post. Columbia Murder Suspect Vincent Pinkney Tied to Everybody Killa Gang
He had a long record. Reporting at the time counted at least eleven arrests since 2012 on charges including robbery and assault.7New York Post. Columbia Murder Suspect Vincent Pinkney Tied to Everybody Killa Gang He had a prior gang assault conviction for an attack in which he and several accomplices slashed and beat a victim who required 25 stitches to the face and 20 staples to the head. He served four years in prison for that conviction and was on parole when he attacked Giri and Malaspina.8New York Daily News. Gang Member Fatally Stabs Columbia U Teaching Assistant, Knifes Second Victim Before Arrest in Central Park
Why There Has Been No Trial
The case did not move to trial. After more than a dozen court appearances, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Maxwell Wiley ruled on October 26, 2022, that Pinkney was “not fit to proceed with trial.”9Columbia Spectator. Vincent Pinkney, Alleged Murderer of Davide Giri, Declared Unfit To Stand Trial A week later, the judge committed Pinkney to the New York State Office of Mental Health under Article 730 of New York’s Criminal Procedure Law, the statute that governs defendants found mentally unfit for trial.
The charges then pending against him, one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of assault, were not dismissed. Pinkney was ordered held in a state mental health facility for treatment until he could be found competent, and the case was adjourned indefinitely.10Columbia Spectator. Trial of Davide Giri’s Alleged Murderer Adjourned Indefinitely No trial or plea has been reported since.
Who Davide Giri Was
Giri was born in Alba, in Italy’s Piedmont region, and grew up near Turin.11New York Post. Who Is Davide Giri, the Columbia Student Fatally Stabbed in NYC He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in information technology engineering in 2012 through a joint program between Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Milano, and Tongji University, followed by a master’s in electronic engineering from Politecnico di Torino in 2014. He came to the United States in 2013, took a second master’s at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed an M.Phil. in computer science at Columbia in 2020.6Columbia Spectator. SEAS Doctoral Student, 30, Dead Following Stabbing on 123rd and Amsterdam
At the time of his death he was a Ph.D. candidate in the System-Level Design Group at Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, researching architectures for heterogeneous systems-on-chip and hardware accelerators, and contributing to ESP, an open-source chip design platform. His work was tied to two DARPA-funded programs.12Columbia University. Davide Giri – Columbia University Columbia had awarded him the Andrew P. Kosoresow Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service in 2018.6Columbia Spectator. SEAS Doctoral Student, 30, Dead Following Stabbing on 123rd and Amsterdam
Off campus, he was one of the first players for NY International FC, founded in 2019. Teammates nicknamed him “Becks” for his style of play.11New York Post. Who Is Davide Giri, the Columbia Student Fatally Stabbed in NYC Club president Nick Platt called him “so determined, so intelligent, on and off the pitch” and “quiet, quite reserved, but also equally funny.”13CBS News New York. Columbia Grad Student Davide Giri Remembered as ‘the Nicest and Brightest Person’ He was survived by his parents, a sister, and a brother.
Columbia’s Response and the Morningside Park Context
Columbia President Lee Bollinger spoke at a candlelight vigil on Butler Lawn the evening after the killing, describing Giri as “a brilliant doctoral student in an exciting field on his way to an incredible career.”5Gothamist. Columbia U Ramps Security After Fatal Stabbing of Grad Student The university added foot patrols on Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue and vehicle patrols along Morningside Drive and the park’s perimeter. The NYPD increased its presence inside the park after 7 p.m. and assigned 24-hour patrol vehicles there, and the city’s Parks Department added enforcement officers during daytime and evening hours.14Columbia University Public Safety. Message From Public Safety About the Tragic Loss to Our Community
Giri’s killing was the second fatal stabbing of a student from the Columbia and Barnard community near Morningside Park in just over two years. In December 2019, Barnard freshman Tessa Majors, 18, was killed during a robbery in the park; a teenager was later sentenced to nine years to life for her murder.15New York Post. Columbia Grad Student Murder Puts Spotlight on Crime Safety Record
How Davide Giri Is Remembered
NY International FC launched an annual “5K for Davide” run in 2022, one year after his death. It has drawn participants running virtually from Germany, the United Kingdom, Texas, and Italy, and the 2025 edition raised nearly $2,000 for EV Loves NYC, a nonprofit that works on food insecurity.16QNS. Dozens Attend Annual 5K for Davide A separate memorial fund on Givebutter raised more than $5,500 from 86 supporters for an educational initiative in his name.17Givebutter. Davide Giri Memorial Fund Research he co-authored has continued to appear in print, including a RISC-V systems-on-chip paper presented at ISSCC in 2024.12Columbia University. Davide Giri – Columbia University