Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Gay student killed by homeless man
09.03.2008 11:40am EDT
(New York City) A homeless man apparently used a pillowcase to suffocate a college honors student he had just met, then hung out at the young man’s apartment to watch a gory horror film before stealing electronics from the apartment and selling them, police said Tuesday.
Kevin Pravia, 19, was found Sunday night by his roommate in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The Pace University sophomore was last seen being helped into a taxi early Saturday after a party in Manhattan.Jeromie Cancel, 22, was arrested Tuesday on murder charges. Investigators said that while Cancel was being questioned in an unrelated case, he admitted suffocating Pravia and stealing his cell phone, laptop computer and iPod.
Police said Cancel, who smiled for television cameras as he was being led in handcuffs out of a police station, was homeless. Police didn’t know whether he had an attorney.
Cancel’s father, Jesus Soto, told WNYW-TV that his son had stolen possessions from him in June, and that he called police when Cancel showed up at his apartment Monday night.
“You don’t take someone’s life like that,” the father said. “He deserves what he gets.”
Cancel claimed that Pravia approached him in Manhattan’s Union Square park around 6 a.m. Saturday looking for drugs and that the two went to his apartment, a few blocks to the northwest, police said. After the slaying, Cancel stayed behind to watch the violent film “Saw,” then left before 11 a.m., police said.
No drugs were found at the scene, police said.
The medical examiner’s office said tests were being performed to determine the cause of Pravia’s death.
Cancel told investigators that Pravia fell asleep and that he decided to rob him, so he punched the student in the face, stuffed a bag in his mouth, wrapped the television cord around his neck and suffocated him, police said. He said he sold the laptop on the street after leaving the apartment, sold the cell phone in a store and couldn’t remember what he did with the iPod, they said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said authorities recovered the phone where it had been sold.
Pravia, who friends said was openly gay, was from Peru, Mass., about 10 miles from the New York border.
Pace officials offered sympathy to Pravia’s family. Grieving friends quickly cobbled a Facebook page dedicated to the student, expressing shock over his death.
Pravia was a 2007 graduate of Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton, Mass., where counselors were available Tuesday for staff and students. Principal James Conro remembered Pravia as a “quiet, polite and respectful young man.”
“My heart goes out to the family,” Conro told The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Mass.
19… just 19 a life snuffed out gay or straight way before his time. My heart goes out to him and his family.
I couldn’t help posting my thought’s. I usually don’t. So guys, you don’t bring someone home to buy drugs (sorry BS) and I’ll leave my comment at that. I too have brought strangers home and while I was fortunate when I did and no longer do this unfortunately should be a wake up call to everyone in our community, don’t! I know easy to say, hard to do, but absolutely necessary!
Peace to you Kevin.
Get to know someone for a while before you take him/her home. You can never bring into your home just anyone unless that person is a friend or relative of someone whom you already know and trust. You never know what a person whom you just met and whom you haven’t have had time to get to know and trust is thinking or might do.
A guy living on the street might see an opportunity to worm his way in if you let him and to rob you, etc.
You might help a homeless person with a little money, food or a warm jacket, BUT NEVER, EVER INVITE HIM TO YOUR HOME, SOMETHING MIGHT TRIGGER HIM TO DO SOMETHING AND THERE YOU are…VICTIMIZED OR WORSE BY THE VERY PERSON YOUR ARE TRYING TO HELP.
There is no doubt that the violence portrayed in our entertainment mediums – be that movies, TV or video games – are so very violent – its hard to imagine that they don’t factor in some way toward the prevalence of violence in society overall. Not sure what this murderers life story is, his father sure was quick to dismiss him completely (which caused mixed emotions in me as he deserves the death penalty on one hand, but on the other hand, what the heck makes someone DO THIS? If his father was so quick to cast him aside with no sense of trying to engender some level of understanding and the guy was homeless – maybe it was his family that had something to do with it?) Heck, I can’t imagine his family NOT being partly responsible for his homeless state. I feel so sorry for Kevin, so much promise cut chort so violently. My condolences to his family and a prayer for a better journey for Kevin’s spirit going foward.
I fear that Hollywood models, very explicitly, how to be sociopath, and how to hurt and kill people, in countless movies. Our choices, good or bad, moral or not, are unquestionably influenced by people and things to which we are exposed. They don’t come from thin air.
Rest in peace Kevin. Let us remember all of the victims of anti-gay violence and their families and pray that one day, it will cease.
I know why he was smiling. He’s going to get a free ride and he knows it. Square meals, life behind bars, and no need to actually commit to anything beyond just staying alive. I know I’m against the death penalty but isn’t there some way to force a person to actually have to act or otherwise suffer mortal consequences? He’s certainly what you could call a case of a person who’s been desensitized by violence, but that’s not Hollywood’s fault, nor is it his parent’s fault. This man was homeless by his own choices and he seems to be quite satisfied by his lack of effort or appreciation of human life. Special cases like this require very special forms of punishment. Counseling might be somewhat useful, but I’d assume he’s lost any semblance of affect he may have possessed. Getting someone like that to even recognize that they are being punished instead of treated to a free ride is almost impossible. Sadly there are too many people who share these attributes who are also behind bars, though a frightening number exist as still unknown/unidentified and there will never be a perfect method for preventing them from taking a life.
<> Hollywood helps, a little bit, my regularly making entertainment out of killing people. It makes perfect sense to me that he would stay and watch a horror movie. I long for the day that Hollywood stops making entertainment out of severe human suffering.
This is horrible. Why would someone do that? I’m sad to say that this is something that is so common that it’s not really shocking. All the same, I hope they punish him harshly.
Condolences.
This was a sad story all right. What in the hell could make a person decide to kill, for heavens sake. Maybe the drugs? I like a little toke meself oncein a while. But I sure don’t think I’d go at 6 in the am looking for such. I’m so sorry for your friends and families. You were probably a nice guy. Peace.
And they wonder why gays get mad at stereotyping slander: “it’s just a joke.” Tell that to this boy’s family.
Look at this Blogger’s garbage (associated with a reputable on-line retailer). I think he should be shut down for this bashing.
http://www.jrcigarblogs.com/index.cfm?mode=archive&year=2008&month=8&day=19