Man Nabbed After Slitting Girlfriend's Throat, Assaulting, Knocking Out Paramedic

A Bronx man who was arrested for assaulting and knocking out a paramedic has been found to have also allegedly killed his girlfriend by slitting her throat.

Nashan Walsh, 35, was arrested by police officers on Saturday, March 19, and charged with murder after he allegedly brutally slit the throat of his girlfriend, mother-of-two Bjana James, 37, inside her East 147th Street apartment in the Bronx’s Betances Houses which she shared with the accused, New York Post reported.

On Friday, March 18, a 911 caller complained to the authorities that Walsh seemed to be high on drugs and was acting out of control. After EMTs responded to the call on Brook Avenue and E. 149th St., Walsh tackled one of the emergency paramedics to the ground and head-butted another so hard the first responder lost consciousness. Following this, the uncooperative Walsh was taken into custody.

Earlier the same day, Walsh reportedly called 911 himself and babbled about a murder. When officers showed up at the scene, Walsh was already gone. However, a worker said he recognized him and overheard him talking about a homicide.

The day after his arrest, on Saturday, March 19, James’ brother and his girlfriend went to the couple’s E. 147th St. apartment to check on the victim because they had not heard from her. However, when they reached the residence, they found that the door to the flat was unlocked. They subsequently found James dead inside sprawled out on her couch with her throat slit, Daily News reported.

“I stabbed her a couple of times in a rage,” Walsh told the officers upon his arrest. “In the neck. She was on the couch.”

According to some of James' relatives, James had told a family member earlier in the week that her boyfriend was acting strange and that she feared for her life.

“She basically was texting her [relative] the day it happened like, ‘I’m scared. He’s gonna kill me. I’m scared for my life. He is bugging out,’” a cousin, who gave her name as Shelly, said. “He left the house. She wrote back… ‘He’s here, he’s back.’"

However, after the series of texts, James stopped replying to the messages and her family members didn’t hear from her again.

Walsh was arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court on charges of murder, manslaughter, and weapon possession on Monday, March 21. He was ordered held without bail.
In addition to the murder and weapon possession charges, he is also charged with assault and harassment for allegedly attacking the EMTs.

Walsh reportedly has 11 prior unsealed arrests mostly for robbery and assault that date back to 1995. He has an extensive history as both the perpetrator and victim of domestic violence.