Two alleged Kips Bay squatters who brutally killed a woman and stuffed her body into a duffel bag last month will be returned to New York next week to face justice, police said Wednesday.
The brutal murder of 52-year-old Nadia Vitel, whose body was found on March 14, made national headlines last month after it was revealed that she was killed on the 19th floor of 206 East 31st St. by two squatters who had taken up residence in the vacant apartment.
On Wednesday afternoon NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that Halley Tejada, 19, and Kensly Alston, 18, will be brought back to New York next week. They were apprehended in Pennsylvania after fleeing the Empire State following the homicide.
“We track them via credit card usage down to Pennsylvania. They waived extradition and they will be back next week,” Chief Kenny said.
Police sources said Vitel had apparently just entered the country from Spain to get her mother’s affairs in order after she had died recently. Vitel was intending to prepare the appointment for a family member when she walked in on Tejada and Alston, leading to her murder, law enforcement sources said.
An autopsy found that Vitel was killed with blunt force trauma to the head. She had suffered multiple facial fractures, a brain bleed, and broken ribs.
The squatters seemingly panicked, cops said, which led them to stuff their victim into a duffel bag. Police said they then stole Vitel’s car and fled across the Hudson River to New Jersey. They eventually arrived in Pennsylvania, where they would crash and ditch the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Vitel’s son would ultimately discover his mother inside a closet during a wellness check of the apartment, at around 4:29 p.m. on March 14.
“The super makes entry into the apartment, does a quick look around. As they’re getting ready to leave, the son opens up the closet door and discovers the duffel bag with a foot sticking out,” Chief Kenny said.
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