NEW YORK — The boyfriend of Sylvie Cachay has been charged with attempted murder and strangulation after the fashion designer was found dead last week in an overflowing bathtub at an upscale New York City hotel.
Nicholas Brooks, 24, was ordered held without bail Saturday in a New York City courtroom, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors say he couldn’t get over Cachay wanting to break up with him after the pair reportedly started dating six months ago.
Cachay’s body was discovered around 3 a.m. Thursday in a room at the Soho House, a private members’ club and hotel in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The designer was submerged in the tub, dressed in a thin black sweater and underwear.
Brooks was seen leaving the hotel earlier and returning around 3:30 a.m. to find police at the scene. His defense attorney claims Cachay was "absolutely fine" when last seen by her boyfriend.
"There’s no question in my mind that he’s not guilty of any criminal charges in this case," attorney Jeffrey C. Hoffman told AP of Brooks, who is the son of Academy Award-winning songwriter Joseph Brooks, who penned the 1977 ballad "You Light Up My Life."
Cachay began her fashion career as an intern at Marc Jabobs before landing a job with Tommy Hilfiger. She went on to work at Victoria’s Secret, which she left in January 2006 to launch her own swimwear collection, Syla.
