Butler Street Murder is a Family Affair

Rachel Markowitz | June 20, 2007

I had been in my new apartment on Butler Street for less than a month the afternoon I came home from work and was greeted by police tape. Don’t get me wrong, I was fully aware upon moving in that my tidy apartment building, inhabited mostly by white collar types with jobs in Manhattan, was located right next to the projects. But hey, this is New York City, right? Post-Giuliani or not, odd juxtaposition is not uncommon.

There were people I didn’t recognize standing around, sitting on apartment steps, gazing up the street at the police men who were standing around with clip boards, talking to each other intensely. When I reached my building, I asked the man sitting on the steps of my apartment what the hell was going on. The street beyond my building was completely blocked off. Someone got shot, he told me blankly. Great I thought as I made my way into my apartment. Great to feel safe at home.

By the time I made my way out to the gym, the crowd was mostly gone. The next day a resourceful friend of mine got the dirt for me. According to information from New York Daily News, 53-year-old William Van Utrecht shot his younger brother on the steps of their family home the afternoon of May 29^th, 2007. After the shots rang out, he was heard shouting “Call the police! I just shot my brother!” Way to be discreet buddy.

The victim was 46-year-old Steven Van Utrecht, ex-Marine, ex-con, and grandfather. While not serving time in the Marines or prison, the victim, known as Chi-Chi, took care of his mom. “He’d prune your bushes and shovel your driveway,” according to a family friend.

The interesting thing? This murder did not even take place in the projects. It took place on the steps of the Van Utrecht family home which they have owned for many years. According to the Carroll Cobble Courier, the murder was the result of an argument as to whether William Van Utrecht should go back to rehab. Although the suspected murderer fled the scene of the crime, police tracked him down a week later. He now faces charges of second degree murder.

Despite this tragedy, I still feel safe in my cozy apartment on Butler Street. I figure as long as I don’t have a drug addicted brother, I should be safe for now.