A 66-year-old East Harlem man and his 55-year-old home health aide were fatally shot in the head and bound with an electrical cord last week in what investigators believe may have been a robbery that turned deadly, police and sources said.
Wilgen Elias Severino-Tatis and his caregiver, Elsa Espina-Espinal, were found bound and dead inside a grim scene at the NYCHA Gaylord White Houses on Second Avenue near East 104th Street at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to police.
Severino-Tatis lived in the building and was alone in the apartment when the intruders entered, law enforcement sources said. Espina-Espinal had briefly left to go to the store for him.
Sources said the caregiver returned while the violent robbery was underway, interrupting the attack and becoming a victim herself.
Espina-Espinal’s son contacted police to request a wellness check after his mother, a Bronx resident who served several clients in the building, failed to report for her night shift, sources said.
Both victims had suffered fatal gunshot wounds and were bound with an electrical cord, according to the sources.
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Authorities said the two were pronounced dead at the scene.
As of Monday, investigators had not released information about a suspect in the deadly robbery. Sources said detectives believe the attack was likely a crime of opportunity.
Severino-Tatis appeared to be the intended target, according to the sources.
On Monday, the NYPD released photos of both victims and appealed to anyone who saw them before the killings or has information about the case to come forward.
Anyone with information about the slayings is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish-language assistance, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Tips may also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website or on X at @NYPDTips.
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