A former housekeeping manager at the swanky Essex House was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison today for the murder and attempted rape of a resident of the Central Park South address.
Andree "Sara" Bejjani's sister, Nada Bejjani, had asked Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman to slap Derrick Praileau with even more time, tearfully describing how she's still haunted by her sister's death.
Bejjani said she and her 7-year-old daughter had briefly postponed their trip from Dubai to visit the 44-year-old real-estate mogul, and spoke to her on the phone just hours before a drunk and high Praileau, 31, strangled her while trying to rape her.
She said that when they arrived at the Essex House, they were stunned to find cops outside of Sara's room in the luxury hotel and condo complex. Bejjani said she was talking to cops outside of the room "while my sister was lying dead in a pool of her own blood inside her own room."
She said she and her daughter "were all supposed to sleep in the room together that night."
Instead, Bejjani said she had to identify her sister at the morgue, and her face was so badly beaten she could hardly recognize her.
"Losing Sara is very painful, and imagining what happened to her is even more painful," Bejjani said, shaking with tears.
"I see flashes of the frightened look on her face, not knowing what was happening. I see flashes of her fighting for her life, and I can't imagine how much pain she must have gone through," Bejjani said.
She pleaded for Berkman to up the sentence to 25 years to life, but said, "No matter how long Mr. Praileau ends up serving behind bars, our loss will always remain beyond repair."
A soft-spoken Praileau said, "To Sara's family and friends, I apologize for their loss. To the court, I am sorry."
The judge sentenced Praileau to the 23 year sentence he agreed to in a plea deal, telling Bejjani, "Even the death sentence would not bring your sister back, or erase your memories."