The Brooklyn man who allegedly confessed to cops that he killed a 73-year-old woman by setting her on fire in a Prospect Heights elevator was arraigned yesterday—and more details about that alleged confession came to light. Police claim that Jerome Isaac boasted at the time of his arrest that he would have gotten away with the murder of Deloris Gillespie if he hadn't turned himself in: “If the video wasn’t there, you would still be looking for me,” he declared, despite having burned half his face during the attack.
But since he did turn himself in, Isaac wasn't shy about talking to cops—they claim he readily admitted to the crime when he was shown pictures of himself from the elevator camera. "That is me on the video and the picture. I ain't denying that is me," he allegedly said. Isaac has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, and the judge refused to set bail. "With a crime of this magnitude, considering that the defendant is facing the possibility of life without parole, the incentive to flee the jurisdiction is almost incalculable," said Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent DelGiudice.
The incident occurred on Dec. 17 around 4:15 p.m. in Gillespie's apartment building at 203 Underhill Ave. in Prospect Heights. Gillespie had just returned from grocery shopping when the elevator stopped on the fifth floor—the attacker, who was dressed as an exterminator, doused her from head to toe with an accelerant as she cowered in the corner clutching her groceries. The attacker then set a Molotov cocktail on fire, and used the wick to set her ablaze; he then lobbed the Molotov cocktail inside the elevator. The whole scene was captured on two surveillance tape cameras in the elevator. Gillespie was pronounced dead at the scene, while five other tenants suffered minor injuries.
It's believed that Isaac was upset that Gillespie had not paid him for various odd jobs he performed for her. Gillespie’s nephew, Rickey Causey, had said Isaac worked for Gillespie, who was known as a bit of a hoarder, but was fired after being caught stealing from her. Isaac's lawyer has requested solitary confinement and medical attention for his client, but has not asked for bail.
