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Man arrested in 3 slayings at NYC senior housing project

January 21, 2021 GMT

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Woodson Houses, a New York City housing project for seniors and the site of three murders of three women according to authorities is shown, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. n. A 78-year-old victim was found dead last week with a telephone cord around her neck in her apartment at the housing project. The building was the scene of two other killings of elderly women in 2015 and in 2019 that had sparked complaints about security. Thursday, authorities announced the arrest of a suspect, Kevin Gavin, in the unsolved slayings of the women. Gavin lived in the building and was known to run errands for residents. He was arrested after forensic evidence and witnesses linked him to the murders, the officials said. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Police have arrested a man in the unsolved slayings of three women in the same building at a New York City housing project for seniors.

Officials announced the arrest of Kevin Gavin on Thursday, about a week after a 78-year-old victim was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment, with a telephone cord around her neck. The building was the scene of two other killings of elderly women in 2015 and in 2019 that had sparked complaints about security.

Gavin, 66, who lived in the building where he was known to run errands for residents, was arrested after forensic evidence and witnesses linked him to the murders, the officials said.

The suspect “took advantage of his relationships with these women, was allowed into their homes and did unspeakable acts of violence against them,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at a news conference.

Investigators believe the killings might have been related to disputes over money, police said.

It wasn’t immediately clear when Gavin would appear in court and if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

There were four new security cameras installed in the lobby of the building last year, police said. But a plan for 65 additional cameras in the complex was scrapped because of budget constraints, they added.