Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney's Office
05/20/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/20/2026 10:57
Brooklyn Serial Killer Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison For Murdering Three Elderly Brownsville Women
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brownsville man who pleaded guilty to the murders of three elderly women inside their NYCHA apartments has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. The defendant killed three women who hired him to help with repairs and errands, 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 attacks between 2015 and 2021.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, "These were acts of shocking depravity and cruelty against three elderly women who should have been safe inside their own homes. Myrtle McKinney, Jacolia James and Juanita Caballero were beloved members of their families and their community, and this defendant exploited their trust, entered their homes, and took their lives with brutal violence. The pain he inflicted on their loved ones is immeasurable, and today's sentence cannot undo that grief. But it ensures that he will spend the rest of his life in prison and never again prey on another vulnerable neighbor."
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Kevin Gavin, 71, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dineen Ann Riviezzo to 30 years to life in prison after pleading guilty on April 24, 2026, to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder.
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. The defendant gained access to the victims' apartments by cultivating relationships with elderly neighbors and performing handyman work and errands for them.
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 her death, the defendant was captured on video surveillance using her debit card at multiple locations.
The defendant was apprehended on January 21, 2021, by members of the New York City Police Department's Brooklyn North Homicide and the 73rd Precinct. Following his arrest, the defendant confessed to all three killings and told investigators the attacks stemmed from disputes over money he claimed the victims owed him.
Investigators linked the defendant to the earlier killing through similarities in the victims' ages, living conditions and that all three women lived inside the same NYCHA development where the defendant resided.
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
Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney's Office published this content on May 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 20, 2026 at 16:57 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]