A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to murdering three elderly women in a senior housing complex, admitting to a series of violent crimes that devastated a vulnerable community and shocked investigators.
Kevin Gavin confessed to killing Myrtle McKinney, 82, Jacolia James, 83, and Juanita Caballero, 78, between 2015 and 2021 at the Carter G. Woodson Houses, a public housing complex for seniors operated by the New York City Housing Authority.
Under the guilty plea agreement, Gavin received a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder.
A Pattern of Exploitation
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez described the case as particularly heinous because the victims trusted their attacker.
"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," Gonzalez said in a statement. "These victims were vulnerable neighbours who deserved safety and dignity, and instead had their lives stolen by someone they believed was there to help."
McKinney, a retired housekeeper who had immigrated from Jamaica, was fatally stabbed in the neck on November 8, 2015. James died after Gavin stomped on her neck and chest on April 30, 2019. Her relatives discovered her body face down and bruised after opening her unlocked apartment door.
Caballero was strangled with a phone cord in her apartment on January 14, 2021, during what authorities classified as a robbery. Her son found her body during a weekend visit.
Justice and Closure
Security footage showed Gavin using Caballero's debit card days after her death. He was arrested a week after her body was discovered and confessed to all three murders.
During questioning, Gavin claimed he had disputes with each victim over money and alleged he had fought with them before their deaths. The admissions brought long-awaited accountability for crimes that had plagued the close-knit senior housing community.
This story was originally reported by NBC News.