71-year-old serial killer pleads guilty to murdering elderly women in NYC
· Toronto Sun
A 71-year-old serial killer has pleaded guilty to murdering three of his elderly neighbours in a New York City public housing development, prosecutors said .
Kevin Gavin, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder on April 24 in slayings he committed from 2015 to 2021 in New York City Housing Authority’s Carter G. Woodson Houses, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statemen t. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in exchange for the plea.
Visit extonnews.click for more information.
Gavin killed Myrtle McKinney, 82, in 2015; Jacolia James, 83, in 2019; and Juanita Caballero, 78, in 2021. Authorities said he was caught after using Caballero’s bank card.
The DA’s office said he confessed to all three killings after his 2021 arrest. According to the office, Gavin was a local handyman that would run errands and make repairs.
“This defendant exploited elderly women who trusted him, gained access to their homes, and murdered them in a series of brutal attacks that shocked the conscience. These victims were vulnerable neighbors who deserved safety and dignity, and instead had their lives stolen by someone they believed was there to help,” Gonzalez said.
Three murders
McKinney was found dead in her apartment in 2015 by her home health aide. The death was originally thought to be from natural causes until a funeral director discovered a stab wound in her neck, the New York Times reported. An autopsy found the stab wound and blunt force injuries to her head and torso.
James was killed in April of 2019 when Gavin “stomped” on her neck and chest, the DA’s office said. Her death prompted loved ones to advocate for security cameras in the public housing building.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
Authorities said Gavin strangled the third victim, Caballero, by strangling her with a telephone cord in January 2021. She was discovered by her son.
“My mother was brutally murdered, brutally murdered,” Steven Caballero told the Times . “I can never get the vision of seeing my mother out of my eyes.”
Gavin was finally caught after using Caballero’s debit card at numerous locations. He was arrested on Jan. 21, 2021. He said to investigators that the victims owed him money.