Two teen squatters, Halley Tejada and Kensly Alston, were charged with the murder of Nadia Vitels, a Manhattan mom whose body was found stuffed in a duffle bag in an apartment she was checking up on. Vitels had come face-to-face with the intruders when she went to her late mother’s upscale pad that had been vacant for a few months. Tejada and Alston were extradited from Pennsylvania to face second-degree murder charges in Manhattan Criminal Court. Police found Vitels’ body on March 14 with blunt force injuries to the head, facial fractures, brain injury, and broken ribs.
The 19th-floor apartment on East 31st Street had been empty for several months after Vitels’ mother’s death, according to authorities. Vitels returned home from Spain on March 10 and was there to prepare the apartment for relatives to stay in. Security cameras captured the two suspects, Tejada and Alston, walking through the lobby of the building and into the elevator on the same day. Vitels’ 23-year-old son received a text from his mother on March 12 but did not hear from her after that. Worried, he called the police for a welfare check, and Vitels’ body was found in a duffle bag in a closet with severe injuries.
The suspects were captured on surveillance footage leaving the apartment and driving off in Vitels’ Lexus SUV, eventually crashing it in Pennsylvania after driving through New Jersey. They used the dead woman’s credit card while on the run. The 19-year-old accused murderer, Tejada, was seen being escorted out of the 17th Precinct stationhouse in handcuffs. The suspects were scheduled for arraignment on the murder charges. Vitels’ son alerted the authorities after not hearing from his mother, leading to the discovery of her body in the apartment.
The violent death of Nadia Vitels, allegedly at the hands of two teen squatters, shocked the community and left her family devastated. The senseless murder unfolded as Vitels was simply trying to prepare her late mother’s apartment for relatives to visit. The suspects, Tejada and Alston, were seen entering the building on the same day Vitels was last heard from. The details of the brutal murder, including severe head injuries and fractures, highlight the gruesome nature of the crime. The cousins also used Vitels’ credit card while evading authorities.
A tragic story of a mother trying to care for her family’s property turned deadly, resulting in a senseless act of violence that has left many in shock. Vitels’ son’s concern for his mother’s well-being led to the discovery of her body and the eventual capture of the suspects. Authorities were able to trace the suspects through surveillance footage and credit card usage. Tejada and Alston are now facing consequences for their actions, and the justice system will hopefully provide closure for Vitels’ family. The community mourns the loss of a loved one in such a horrific manner and seeks justice for the victim.
