A man accused of murdering New York jogger Karina Vetrano has allegedly told police he strangled her because she came from a white neighborhood.
Chanel Lewis, 20, who was arrested in connection with the August 2 murder told one officer 'I don't like those people over there.'
Lewis, who is black, has admitted killing Vetrano, whose body was discovered in Spring Creek Park, near Howard Beach last year.
According to the New York Post, Lewis refused twice to talk to a white detective, but when Barry Brown, who is black, entered the interview room, the suspect waived his Miranda rights.
He said he had 'hit' and 'choked' the 30-year-old jogger from Howard Beach.
He was arraigned at Queens Criminal Court on Sunday night for second degree murder.
Sexual assault charges are to be decided by a grand jury later this month.
NYPD detectives say Lewis made 'detailed' descriptions of how he attacked Karina during her evening jog after being arrested at his family home in Brooklyn.
Once in custody, he told them that he 'lost it' and choked her after venturing to the park while angry about how many people were in his crowded home, ABC reports.
While Lewis admitted to killing the jogger, sources told the network he denied raping her in interviews that were captured on film.
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The NYPD claims he made 'detailed' descriptions of how he attacked Karina Vetrano on August 2
The suspect's father Richard revealed on Monday he took him to hospital for cuts and bruises the following day but maintained his son was innocent.
Lewis's legal aid attorney Robert Moeller told DailyMail.com neither he nor his colleague Julia Burke were present when he made the apparent confession.
They are yet to see the video and are urging the public to 'keep an open mind' so that Lewis may be granted a fair trial.
'We are spending this critical time getting to know our client and his family and reviewing all the facts associated with this case.
'We caution everyone — including the media — not to rush to immediate judgment.
'As our judicial system affords, Mr. Lewis is entitled to fairness and due process,' a statement issued by the Legal Aid Society read.
The Queens District Attorney's Office has refused to discuss what exactly Lewis said during interviews but told DailyMail.com the taped comments were admissible and could be used at trial.
There has been no official comment on Lewis's mental condition.
A confession made by a suspect without a lawyer present can be used in court by prosecutors so long as it is proven to be voluntary.
Involuntary confessions are statements that are coerced by police or given without a suspect's full receipt and understanding of their Miranda Rights which includes their right to an attorney provided by the state.
Lewis's attorneys have not yet suggested whether they believe the statement was voluntary or not and there has been no official comment on his mental state.
He is a graduate of Martin De Porres School in Queens which teaches 'marginalized' students with emotional and behavioral problems.
Students who attend the school are classified as having emotional disturbances which can include poor impulse control, poor regulation of emotions and frustration, a source told DailyMail.com.
Others are aggressive, anxious, depressed or a combination.
Lewis is currently facing one count of second degree murder but sexual assault charges are likely to be brought by a grand jury.
He will reappear in court in Queens on February 21 and has not yet entered a plea to the second degree murder charge he faces.
Richard Lewis, his 70-year-old father, revealed he took him to a hospital on August 3, the day after the murder, with cuts and bruises to his arm.
Mr Lewis gave no alternative explanation for his son's injuries. He could not tell New York outlet Pix 11 if his son is mentally disabled, telling the network cryptically: 'Only the doctors would know.'
Lewis is one of five of his mother's children and seven of his father's. His family is of Jamaican descent.
Lewis attended Martin De Porres school for emotionally and behaviorally troubled teenagers between 2011 and 2015 but graduated with a clean record.
He earlier attended Brooklyn's High School for Medical Professions in Canarsie where he allegedly threatened to stab female students in 2011 when he was 15.
No one from the school could verify The New York Post's report of the incident and that he was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic afterwards on Tuesday.
Dr Edward Dana, director of Martin De Porres School which he later attended: 'During his time at the school, there is no disciplinary record against him, nor are there any reports that he made threatening statements against other students.
If travelling from Lewis's mother's house in East New York to the school, the quickest route is through Howard Beach.
Lewis has three summonses for behavior in the area dating back to 2013 including one for public urination and two others for violating park rules.
His family describes him as quiet, humble and unassuming.
His father, retired elementary school principal Richard, rushed to the 107th Precinct on Sunday after news of his arrest to tell reporters that he was a 'wonderful' and 'humble' kid who wasn't capable of such violence.
'Chanel would never have gone to do what they say he has done.
'He’s never had a fight in his 20 years,' he told The New York Post.
Lewis's half-sister Theresa Forbes claims he is the victim of a racially charged set-up.
'I think the cops framed him because he’s a black person.
'They couldn’t find anyone else to pin this on, so they pinned it on my brother.
'My family, we are God-fearing people. The Bible tells us ‘Do no kill’—we do not kill,' she told the same newspaper.
Lewis was arrested at his mother's house in East New York at 6pm on Saturday, two days after being questioned by police for the first time about the murder.
Detectives honed in on him after combing 911 calls about the area surrounding the Queens park as they frantically searched for leads.
It had been cold for six months when they happened upon a report made by one of Karina's neighbors in Howard Beach about him trying to break in to a house with a crowbar.
Local sergeant Lt. John Russo had also seen him the day before acting suspiciously.
Queens NYPD Lt. John Russo (above) recalled seeing Lewis acting strangely in the park in May. His hunch and a 911 call from a neighbor describing the suspect from the same month led police to Lewis last week
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Queens NYPD Lt. John Russo (above) recalled seeing Lewis acting strangely in the park in May. His hunch and a 911 call from a neighbor describing the suspect from the same month led police to Lewis last week
They visited Lewis at his mother Veta's home where he gave a voluntary cheek swab which matched DNA found under Karina's fingernails.
Karina's parents have been generous in their praise of the department which Mrs Vetrano described as the 'best in the world' after Lewis's arrest.
Lt. Russo was congratulated by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference on Tuesday.
This was an extremely tough case to crack when it came to the murder of Ms. Vetrano, and you’ve done an amazing job,' he told Chief Detective Boyce.
The Vetrano family watched Lewis's s arraignment on Sunday.
The couple maintained an active public profile during the search for her killer and have vowed to attend Lewis's trial in its entirety.
Mrs Vetrano unleashed on him as they came face to face in court for the first time, shouting in his direction: 'Now your nightmare begins' and labeling him a 'savage' and a 'demon'.
