Boyfriend Held in SoHo Stabbing

Police are questioning the boyfriend of a woman found stabbed to death yesterday inside a SoHo apartment, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

The body of the victim, who police sources identified as Denise Deperrie, 36, was found with at least three stab wounds by her roommate yesterday after he noticed a strange smell coming from her bedroom inside an apartment at 31 Crosby St., police said.

Detectives picked up the suspect today after he was discharged from Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn where he had checked in for treatment yesterday, Mr. Kelly said.

Deperrie and the suspect, who was not identified by police, have a history of domestic conflict. In August, the suspect was arrested for punching Deperrie and then cutting her with a samurai sword, Mr. Kelly said. Deperrie's roommate witnessed a violent dispute between the pair last week, Mr. Kelly said.

Several neighbors, who declined to identify themselves, said they had noticed a stench in the apartment building over the last few days. Investigators believe Deperrie was killed late last week, Mr. Kelly said.

Deperrie was described by her neighbors as a habitual drug user who most people in the building shied away from.

The roommate, who neighbors said was the son of the building's superintendent, discovered a former female roommate dead inside the same apartment in June 2006 after she suffered from a drug overdose, Mr. Kelly said.