FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 24, 2026
Brooklyn Man Who Preyed on Elderly Neighbors as
Serial Killer Pleads Guilty to Three Murders
Trusted for Repairs, Defendant Admitted to Killing Women Inside Their NYCHA Apartments
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brownsville man who acted as a serial killer inside his own apartment building has pleaded guilty to murder for killing three elderly women who trusted him for help with repairs and errands. The defendant admitted to fatally stabbing one victim, stomping on the neck and chest of a second victim, and strangling a third victim inside their apartments at the New York City Housing Authority’s Carter G. Woodson Houses during separate incidents between 2015 and 2021.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “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. These victims were vulnerable neighbors who deserved safety and dignity, and instead had their lives stolen by someone they believed was there to help. Today’s guilty plea ensures that he will be held accountable for all three killings and spend the rest of his life in prison. My thoughts remain with the victims’ families who have endured unimaginable loss, and I hope that this outcome brings them a measure of solace.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Kevin Gavin, 71, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. The defendant pleaded guilty today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dineen Ann Riviezzo to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, in exchange for a promised sentence from the Court of 30 years to life in prison. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2026.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between November 8, 2015, and January 14, 2021, the defendant killed three elderly women who lived in the same NYCHA building as him on Powell Street in Brownsville.
On or about November 8, 2015, the defendant fatally stabbed Myrtle McKinney, 82, in the neck with a knife inside her apartment.
On or about April 30, 2019, the defendant stomped on the neck and chest of Jacolia James, 83, inside her apartment.
On or about January 14, 2021, while robbing her, the defendant strangled Juanita Caballero, 78, by wrapping a phone cord around her neck inside her apartment.
Following Ms. Caballero’s death, the defendant was captured on video surveillance using her debit card at multiple locations. He was apprehended on January 21, 2021, by members of the New York City Police Department’s Brooklyn North Homicide and the 73rd Precinct and subsequently confessed to all three murders.
The District Attorney thanked Homicide Paralegal Meghan Brancato and Green Zone Paralegal Aneudy Mata for their work on this case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cassandra Pond, Green Zone Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicide Bureau Chief.
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