A 71-year-old handyman has pleaded guilty to the murders of three elderly women who lived in his New York apartment building, prosecutors announced.
Details of the Crimes
Kevin Gavin, from Brownsville, Brooklyn, admitted to killing three neighbors in the Carter G. Woodson Houses, a public housing complex for seniors. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, Gavin would gain the trust of his elderly victims by offering to help with repairs and errands, then brutally murder them in their own homes.
“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,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a press release. “He acted as a serial killer inside his own apartment building.”
The first murder occurred in November 2015, when Gavin fatally stabbed 82-year-old Myrtle McKinney in the neck with a knife inside her apartment. More than three years later, in April 2019, he killed 83-year-old Jacolia James by stomping on her neck and chest. In January 2021, Gavin strangled 78-year-old Juanita Caballero to death with a phone cord and robbed her, later using her debit card captured on surveillance video.
Legal Outcome
Gavin pleaded guilty Friday to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. In exchange, he faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. “Today’s guilty plea ensures that he will be held accountable for all three killings and spend the rest of his life in prison,” Gonzalez said.
Gavin was arrested a week after Caballero's murder and subsequently confessed to all three killings. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20. Gonzalez expressed hope that the plea brings solace to the victims' families, saying, “My thoughts remain with the victims’ families who have endured unimaginable loss.”
