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Craig Crimmins was a stagehand at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House - now the Met - in July 1980 when he threw off an award-winning violinist and Juilliard graduate, Helen Mintiks, off the roof of the building after she rejected his advances. Mintiks was on a break from her performance for the Berlin Ballet when she first encountered her killer in the elevator. Her body was found the next day.
A witness who spotted the 30-year-old violinist with Crimmins on the elevator that night shortly before the murder was able to direct authorities to him. Following a few interviews, he eventually confessed to the murder and detailed the happenings.
ID's Murder in the Big Apple, which is scheduled to premiere on the channel this Thursday, May 11, at 10 pm ET, will chronicle Helen Mintiks' murder at the Met.
The synopsis for the upcoming episode, titled Murder at the Met, reads:
"A talented violinist vanishes mid-performance at the famed Metropolitan Opera house, and panic ensues when her body turns up in an air shaft the next day; wild theories spread as detectives try to unravel reality from rumors to find a killer."
In 1981, the accused was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
According to the New York Department of Corrections, Craig Crimmins was released from prison on parole in August 2021.
Craig Crimmins was released on parole after serving 2 decades for the felony murder of violinist Helen Mintiks
In June 1981, Craig Crimmins was convicted of the slaying of violinist Helen Mintiks at the Metropolitan Opera House the previous July. Crimmins reportedly murdered 30-year-old Helen Mintiks, who was playing in an orchestra for the Berlin Ballet, by forcing her down an airshaft after he tried to have s*x with her.
A jury found him guilty of felony muder and sentenced him to 20 years to life in prison.
Crimmins was initially charged with attempted r*pe in addition to murder. However, there was no evidence, other than a purported confession, that the crime took place.
One confession is not deemed sufficient by itself and requires solid proof. However, for felony murder, independent proof is sufficient to show that a murder occurred. In this instance, the victim's body served as sufficient proof.
The jury's guilty verdict rejected the defense's claim that Crimmins was "entirely innocent" but was manipulated into admitting to the murder by cunning and skilled investigators who "put words in his mouth."
A palmprint found close to the crime scene and the confession convinced the jury about Craig Crimmins' guilt. This was the single piece was evidence that was used to connect him to the crime along with a key witness' statement who saw him with Helen Mintiks that night.
Moreover, Crimmins was missing from his cue around the same time Mintiks failed to return to the stage and asked one of his co-workers to lie for him. Detectives were able to acquire all this information after having interviewed nearly 800 Met employees. He eventually confessed to the murder and was found guilty of felony murder the following year.
According to the New York Department of Corrections, Craig Crimmins was released from prison on parole in August 2021 from Auburn Corrections Facility after previously being denied the same seven times. The Cinemaholic reports that he continues to reside in New York after his release.
ID's Murder in the Big Apple will further delve into Helen Mintiks' 1980 murder this Thursday.
