A 66-year-old East Harlem man and his female home health aide were fatally shotin the head and bound with an electrical cord last week in what investigators are eyeing as a robbery gone wrong, cops and sources said.
Wilgen Elias Severino-Tatis and his attendant Elsa Espina-Espinal, 55, were both found bound and lifeless in the grisly scene inside the NYCHA Gaylord White Houses on Second Avenue near East 104th Street around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.
Severino-Tatis, who lives in the building, was home alone when the intruders got inside the apartment while Espina-Espinal had stepped out to go to the store for him, according to law enforcement sources.
When the caretaker returned, she interrupted the violent stick-up and became a victim as well, the sources said.
Espina-Espinal’s son called police for a wellness check after his mom – a Bronx resident who has multiple clients in the building – didn’t show up for her night job, the sources said.
In addition to the mortal gunshot wounds, both victims were found tied with an electrical cord, according to the sources.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
No suspect information was available by Monday on the deadly hold-up, which investigators believe was likely a crime of opportunity, the sources said.
It appeared Severino-Tatis was the target, according to the sources.
The NYPD on Monday released photos of both victims, asking those who may have seen the pair before they were killed – or who have leads on the murder – to come forward.
Anyone with information on the slaying is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website athttps://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips.
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