The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Suspected squatters arrested in Pennsylvania in murder of NYC woman
Two suspects are in custody in the brutal murder of a woman whose body was found hidden in a duffel bag in a New York City apartment.
www.cbsnews.com
Suspected squatters arrested in Pennsylvania in murder of NYC woman
By Alice Gainer
Updated on: March 22, 2024 / 6:04 PM EDT / CBS New York
NEW YORK - Two suspects are in custody in the brutal murder of a woman whose body was found hidden in a duffel bag in a New York City apartment.
Halley Tejada, 19, and Kensly Alston, 18, were arrested in York, Penn., about 185 miles from Manhattan for allegedly driving a stolen car.
The U.S. Marshals say the two are considered persons of interest in beating death of 52-year-old Nadia Vitels.
An NYPD source says Tejada is from Washington Heights and Alston is from the Bronx.
Her body was found in a duffel bag in a closet at a 19th floor apartment on 31st Street in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood back on March 14. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head.
Her son made the discovery after coming to check on her because he hadn't heard from her.
An NYPD source said it's alleged that Tejada and Alston were squatting in the apartment when Vitels showed up to move either herself or someone else in.
Sources say the two suspects were seen on surveillance video in the building and outside stealing Vitels' car from the street, where it was parked.
The vehicle was traced to New Jersey and then Pennsylvania, where it was involved in an accident on March 13. According to authorities, Alston, who was allegedly driving Vitels' Lexus at the time of the crash, initially gave officers responding to the crash a fake name.
The two were being hunted by the Joint Fugitive Task Force.
CBS New York spoke with immediate family members of both suspects. Neither seemed to know much about Tejada or Alston's recent whereabouts.