Kevin Gavin, 71, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder for killing three elderly women in their NYCHA apartments in the Carter G. Woodson Houses between 2015 and 2021. Prosecutors said he used his access to enter the women’s apartments, exploiting his role as a handyman who ran errands for elderly residents. He fatally stabbed Myrtle McKinney, stomped on Jacolia James’ neck and chest, and strangled Juanita Caballero with a phone cord while robbing her. Surveillance video showed him using Caballero’s debit card. He was arrested in 2021 after detectives linked the killings and later confessed, citing disputes over money.
"Kevin Gavin, 71, pleaded guilty last month to first‑degree murder and three counts of second‑degree murder for killing Myrtle McKinney, 82, Jacolia James, 83, and Juanita Caballero, 78, between 2015 and 2021 inside the Carter G. Woodson Houses, where he also lived."
"Prosecutors said Gavin, a handyman who ran errands for elderly residents, used his access to get into the women's apartments. He fatally stabbed McKinney, stomped on James' neck and chest, and strangled Caballero with a phone cord while robbing her. Surveillance video later captured him using Caballero's debit card."
""These were acts of shocking depravity and cruelty," Gonzalez said. "The defendant exploited their trust and took their lives with brutal violence. " Gavin was arrested in 2021 after detectives linked the killings through similarities in the victims and the building location. He later confessed, claiming disputes over money."
Read at News 12 - Long Island
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]