Serial killer handyman admits guilt in deaths of three elderly women neighbors at New York apartment building

A serial killer handyman has pleaded guilty to the murders of three elderly women who lived in his New York apartment building.

Kevin Gavin, a 71-year-old from Brownsville, Brooklyn, would gain the trust of these elderly neighbors to help with repairs and errands and then brutally murder them in their own homes, according to prosecutors.

“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,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a press release.

Gonzalez said Gavin “acted as a serial killer inside his own apartment building.” He added, “These victims were vulnerable neighbors who deserved safety and dignity, and instead had their lives stolen by someone they believed was there to help.”

Gavin pleaded guilty Friday to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in exchange for a promised 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.

The first murder Gavin admitted to happened in November 2015, when he fatally stabbed 82-year-old Myrtle McKinney in the neck with a knife.

At the time of McKinney’s murder, the two were inside her apartment in a public housing complex for seniors known as the New York City Housing Authority’s Carter G. Woodson Houses.

Gavin would go on to kill two more residents in the building over the course of several years.

More than three years went by until Gavin murdered his second victim. He killed Jacolia James, 83, in April 2019 by stomping on her neck and chest. In January 2021, he strangled his last victim, 78-year-old Juanita Caballero, to death by wrapping a phone cord around her neck.

Gavin also robbed Caballero during the murder and he was later caught on surveillance video using her debit card. A week after the 78-year-old’s murder, Gavin was arrested, and he later confessed to all three killings.

“My thoughts remain with the victims’ families who have endured unimaginable loss, and I hope that this outcome brings them a measure of solace,” Gonzalez said. Gavin will be sentenced on May 20.