In the predawn hours of February 3, 1983, a burst of gunfire ripped through the Hotel Belleclaire on Broadway and West 77th Street in Manhattan. A 12-year-old girl, Desiree Winfield, was one of four people killed that morning. Other victims included a woman taken to Roosevelt Hospital in guarded condition and an elderly clerk who discovered a spent bullet had been stopped by his wallet and bills.

The hotel’s owner/manager was later reported killed in another part of the building as residents reacted in panic. Leacock was prosecuted in New York County and, after a non-jury trial, was convicted on November 30, 1983 of second-degree murder, multiple manslaughter counts, attempted murder and assault; portions of his sentence were later vacated on appeal and remanded for resentencing under the state’s sentencing rules.

Does anyone have memories of the Belleclaire in 1983 or information about Desiree’s life that could shed light on her and the other victims?