Two alleged adolescent squatters have been charged with murder in the death of a 52-year-old mother, whose body was discovered in a duffel bag in her posh Manhattan apartment in March, the Manhattan district attorney’s office stated.
In addition to murder, Kensly Alston and Halley Tejada are charged with burglary, robbery, grand larceny, and concealment of a human corpse for their participation in Nadia Vitels’ death inside her 19th-floor apartment on East 31st Street.
The luxurious apartment, which had direct elevator access into its entryway, emphasized the residence’s solitude and exclusivity, in contrast to the transgression that transpired within its walls. According to officials, direct elevator access allowed squatters to come and go as they liked.
“Kensly Alston and Halley Tejada allegedly murdered Nadia Vitels in her own apartment while she was moving in to start a new chapter of her life,” Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg stated on Thursday.
According to court filings, Vitels carried belongings from her car to her new Kips Bay apartment on March 10. She then drove off.
Approximately two and a half hours later, the 18-year-old Alston and 19-year-old Tejada entered the upscale flat, carrying a pink luggage. The couple left and returned several times during the next two days.
On March 12, Vitels returned to her house, parking in front of the building and entering the flat with her dog shortly before noon, where Alston and Tejada were still present. After departing to buy a vape at a smoke shop and a suitcase at Target with Vitels’ credit card, the two adolescents returned at 3 p.m., using a key to gain entry, according to the district attorney’s office.
According to court filings, the two left the building just before 6 p.m., wearing blue gloves and carrying the Target luggage, the pink suitcase they had brought, toilet paper, and a Target bag.
After two days of not hearing from her since moving into her new home, Vitels’ loved ones requested the building administrator if they may enter the flat. Once inside, they discovered her dog alone and a crack in a bedroom wall, according to court filings.
They then searched a coat closet near the front door, discovering jackets piled on top of a bag on the floor. According to the DA’s office, the body of Vitels was discovered inside the bag after a family member pushed the coats aside.
The medical examiner’s office later ruled that the death was caused by blunt force trauma.
The investigation’s scope included a search warrant conducted at Vitels’ flat and an assessment of the garbage receptacle area, which revealed personal things belonging to Vitels.
On March 22, the US Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force in Pennsylvania apprehended Alston and Tejada in connection with the killing. After driving away in Vitels’ automobile from Manhattan, the couple allegedly drove it over the George Washington Bridge before crashing in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania.
Despite initial delays caused by local police failing to run the vehicle’s plates right away, the aftermath of the incident offered crucial clues for law enforcement to apprehend the culprits.
Their arrest happened after they allegedly used the stolen credit cards to purchase a PlayStation 5, AirPods, clothes, meals, and a diamond ring.