A woman dubbed the real-life Central Park 'bird lady' has been murdered in the iconic New York landmark. Francis Lee Rogers, also known as Elise Bainbridge Hill, was found dead with her head shaved last Sunday, police said.
She was found dead near a small gazebo and the man accused of killing her has admitted they had a row. Francis, 63, lived a life which bore startling similarities to the beloved Home Alone 2 character and was well known among park regulars, it was reported.
Comparisons to the Pigeon Lady
It drew comparisons to the reclusive Pigeon Lady portrayed by Brenda Fricker in the classic 1992 Christmas film Home Alone 2. The film saw Fricker's lonely character build a friendship with Macaulay Culkin's character Kevin McCallister.
Police have now said she was found barefoot and covered in dirt next to a piece of a bloodied stick. Her grey hair had also been shaved off and showed the fact she had serious injuries inflicted on her head.
Suspect confesses after argument
Officers from the New York Police Department told The New York Times how another vagrant, 36-year-old Jonathan Robles, turned himself into police just hours later and allegedly confessed to the killing, saying violence erupted when they had an argument.
He was arrested and taken into custody and appeared in a court hearing via video link from hospital where he is also receiving treatment for a hand injury.
According to court documents, he said: "She hit me on my body with a stick, so I took the stick from her. I hit her with it more than 20 times. I did it until she couldn't hit me anymore."
Psychiatric evaluation ordered
Robles was charged with second-degree murder, and the judge ordered that he be held without bail and undergo a psychiatric evaluation before his next hearing on October 14.
Robles' attorney with the New York County Defender Services, Mitchell Schuman, has insisted that his client is mentally ill.
"The court ordered a psychiatric evaluation to see whether Mr. Robles is mentally fit to proceed with this case," Schuman said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
"It is very clear that he suffers from a serious mental illness and once the evaluations are completed, that issue will be dealt with in court."
The killing has stunned those who knew her well from her roaming around the park.
"She was like the Grandma Moses of Central Park," nature walk guide Robert DeCandido told the New York Post, comparing her to the celebrated American folk artist.
