For the residents of 204 Hemenway St., the murder of James H. Cassidy was not the first criminal act to occur under their roof. The apartment building is owned by Gould and Co. and currently leases units to Northeastern University. Apartment one, where Cassidy lived and later died, was one of the eight occupied by Northeastern students in the building.

The building does not have a community receptionist and students do not need to swipe their identification card to enter the building. Only a key is needed to gain entry, as only 26 NU students live in the building.

The reason for utilizing leased properties, Director of University Communications Ed Klotzbier said, is to alleviate the housing crunch. But he also emphasized that with the completion of West Campus G and H, no leased properties will be needed.

Residents of 204 told The News that the building has a history of problems and currently nothing fazes them, including break-ins.

“I guess maybe I shouldn’t feel safe, but I’m more scared of the cockroaches and the rats than I am of being robbed,” said Marisa Pedro a junior business major whose computer, bike and stereo were stolen over Christmas break. The perpetrator, she said, entered through a fire escape and walked out the front door.

Stephan Schneider, a sophomore business major, told The News he had been robbed in his 204 Hemenway apartment three months ago.

A non-Northeastern resident said her move-out date cannot come soon enough.

“This building has a history of having some problems, so I’m happy to be moving out June 1,” said Rachel Johnson, a 22-year-old elementary school teacher.

Boston Police are currently investigating Cassidy’s murder and searching for three to four men who waited outside of the building for someone to leave. Once they gained access they proceeded to apartment one with their faces covered by bandannas and guns drawn. The woman who opened the door for the suspects told the Boston Globe last week that the men seemed hesitant and smelled of alcohol.

Through interviews last week with residents, The News learned that breaking and entering was a consistent problem. Associate Director of Public Safety James Ferrier said the Northeastern Police had been called to 204 Hemenway for four incidents in the past academic year.

On September 26 at 9:56 p.m., NUPD responded to a call from an apartment in 204 for a breaking and entering. Apparently a window near the fire escape had been broken. A lap top was stolen from the apartment.

On October 21 at 2:30 p.m., a female student reported that upon returning to her apartment she noticed that someone had broken in via a window near the fire escape. She reported her laptop missing. She also said the computer was placed in her laundry bag and then carried out of the building. Upon investigation NUPD discovered that early in the morning people were knocking on several doors in the building.

On December 27 at 6 p.m., a resident of 204 Hemenway St. reported seeing a man that fit the description of a caution flyer posted in the building. Officers arrived to find the man in the laundry room of the building. In previous incidents, the man had been ringing door bells and walking around the building. While officers were in the building, a female resident returned to her apartment upstairs to find her bicycle and stereo missing. She had left the window adjacent to the fire escape open, and a coffee pot she keeps on the window sill moved, indicating someone had entered the apartment through the window. The man claimed he was buzzed in. It was discovered that the man was wanted by the U.S. Marshals for a parole violation. Boston Police then arrested the man.

Ferrier said that the building was not considered a “party dorm” by the NUPD, as the breaking and entering accounts were the only incidents reported throughout this academic year.

“It is not a building that we’ve had a reason to respond to other than those few incidents,” Ferrier said. “NUPD hasn’t had to respond for drug, alcohol and noise violations all year long.”

One alcohol violation that the NUPD responded to occurred a week before Cassidy’s murder. Apparently a student who had been celebrating his 21st birthday had become ill. Upon arrival by Emergency Medical Services, the student was conscious and informed EMS of his birthday celebration. According to Ferrier, there was evidence of marijuana use in the apartment. The intoxicated student was later referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).