Jennifer Stahl was a promising actress, dancer, and singer who had a small but memorable role in the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing. She was also a victim of a brutal murder that shocked New York City in 2001. What was the cause of her death and who were the killers? Here is what we know about the tragic case of Jennifer Stahl.
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A Rising Star with a Dark Side
Jennifer Stahl was born on April 11, 1962, in Titusville, New Jersey. She was interested in performing arts from a young age and attended the Princeton Ballet School. She moved to New York City in 1985 to pursue her acting career and landed a role in the horror film Necropolis in 1986.
Her breakthrough came in 1987 when she appeared in Dirty Dancing as Penny’s friend who helps Baby learn to dance. She also had roles in Firehouse, Identity Crisis, and I’m Your Man. She was described by her friends as a talented, charismatic, and generous person who loved to party.
However, behind her glamorous image, Jennifer Stahl had a dark side. She struggled with drug addiction and depression and resorted to selling marijuana to make ends meet. She rented an apartment above the famous Carnegie Deli in Midtown Manhattan, where she ran a lucrative drug business. She sold high-grade marijuana to celebrities, musicians, and other clients who visited her apartment.
The Carnegie Deli Massacre
On May 10, 2001, Jennifer Stahl’s life came to an abrupt end when two armed men entered her apartment and shot her and four of her friends. The men were Sean Salley and Andre Smith, who were former acquaintances of Stahl. They had planned to rob her of her money and drugs, but things went wrong when they decided to execute their victims.
According to Oxygen, Salley and Smith forced Stahl into a makeshift music studio where they threatened to kill her if she did not give them the combination to her safe. They then ordered the other four people in the apartment – Anthony Veader, Stephen King, Charles Helliwell III, and Rosemond Dane – to tie each other up with duct tape. They then shot each of them in the back of the head.
Stahl, King, and Helliwell died instantly from their wounds. Dane survived but suffered brain damage and memory loss. Veader was also shot but managed to free himself and call 911. He told the police that one of the shooters was named Sean and that he had dreadlocks.
The Manhunt for the Killers
The police launched a massive manhunt for Salley and Smith, who had fled the scene with $10,000 in cash and some marijuana. They used DNA evidence from the duct tape and a fingerprint from a soda can to identify them as the suspects. They also received tips from America’s Most Wanted, which featured the case.
Salley was arrested on June 28, 2001, in Miami, Florida, where he was hiding in a homeless shelter. Smith was arrested on July 3, 2001, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was staying with his girlfriend. Both men were extradited to New York and charged with murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary.
Salley and Smith gave conflicting accounts of what happened in the apartment. Salley claimed that he accidentally shot Stahl while trying to open the safe and that Smith shot the other four victims. Smith claimed that he only went along with Salley’s plan to buy some weed and that Salley shot everyone without warning.
The jury did not believe either of them and convicted them of all charges in 2003. They were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
The Legacy of Jennifer Stahl
Jennifer Stahl’s death was a tragic loss for her family, friends, and fans. She was remembered as a talented actress who had a bright future ahead of her. She was also a victim of drug addiction and violence that plagued her life.
Jennifer Stahl’s story was featured in several documentaries and TV shows, such as New York Homicide on Oxygen (2023), I (Almost) Got Away With It on Discovery (2010), and The Perfect Murder on Investigation Discovery (2017).
Jennifer Stahl’s cause of death was a senseless act of violence that ended her life at the age of 39. She left behind a legacy of artistry and beauty that will never be forgotten.
