»Celebrity Mugshots«

British rock musician Sid Vicious was arrested last week and charged with murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, and maybe wife, Nancy Spungen, at the Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street.

The police arrived about 11am Thursday after being summoned by a phone call from Vicious. The former member of the Sex Pistols rock group had registered at the hotel with Nancy in late August as Mr and Mrs John Ritchie – his real name.

Nancy’s body lay face-up in the bathroom, her head underneath the sink. She had been stabbed in the stomach and her black lace bra and panties were drenched in blood. The room was in disarray and police found several empty syringes.

On Friday the 13th bail was set at $50,000 despite the objections of Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Schachter, who claimed that the defendant might flee because of the “strong likelihood of conviction”.

During the hearing Malcolm McLaren, former Sex Pistols manager, arrived from London to confer with the lawyers he had engaged to defend Sid. Describing the musician as “outrageous, a very passionate man,” he nevertheless maintained Vicious was “definitely not guilty.”