November 13, 2007

Man Pleads Guilty to Suffocating 88-year-old Woman

Jenkins pleads guilty to first-degree Murder, Judge promises 25-life

MINEOLA – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Frederick Jenkins, 50, of Bay Shore, has pleaded guilty in Nassau County to suffocating an elderly New Cassel woman in her home during a robbery in September of last year.  In exchange for pleading guilty to the charges, including one count of Robbery in the First Degree, Nassau County Judge William Donnino promised to sentence the defendant to 25 years to life in prison at his December 13 sentencing date.

The victim, 88-year-old Evelyn Everette, was found dead September 3, 2006, laying in her bed with a pillow over her face and her pocketbook and wallet open on the floor near her body.  The Medical Examiner would later determine her cause of death to be asphyxiation.

"This was a heinous murder of an innocent, defenseless woman," said Rice.  "I can't think of a more despicable act than to suffocate an 88-year-old woman for the few dollars she has in her pocketbook.  Top-notch police work and our refusal to plea bargain have enabled us to hold this defendant accountable for his unimaginable actions."

Rice said that the investigation began in the early afternoon of September 3, 2006, as Ms. Everette failed to show up at her local church.  The pastor called her house and received no answer.  He dispatched a church member to her home who was unable to gain entry.  Using spare keys Ms. Everette kept at the church, a group quickly returned and gained access to the home, only to find Ms. Everette's lifeless body on the bed in her bedroom. 

The Nassau County Police Department's Crime Scene Unit recovered DNA from the pillow found over the victim's face.

After conducting a thorough investigation and canvass of the neighborhood, detectives had a suspect: Frederick Jenkins.  After retrieving Mr. Jenkin's DNA from cigarettes he smoked while speaking with detectives regarding an unrelated case, the defendant's DNA and the DNA from the pillow at the murder scene were compared and came back as a match.  Mr. Jenkins was arrested November 6, 2006.  He was indicted by a grand jury in February of this year.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Walsh, of the DA's Major Offense Bureau, is handling the case for the DA's Office.  Mr. Jenkins is being represented by Michael Elbert, Esq., of Mineola.