Kevin Gavin

Kevin Gavin (born August 19, 1954) is an American serial killer who robbed and murdered three elderly women in Brooklyn housing complexes between 2015 and 2021. In addition to this, he is suspected of killing two elderly men, one of them being his own brother, but was never charged with them. The killings caused an uproar due to police negligence surrounding the initial deaths.

After several years of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavin was eventually tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a chance of parole after serving 30 years.

Early life Kevin Gavin was born on August 19, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York City. He and his siblings grew up in an impoverished family that, like most residents of the area in the early 1970s, resorted to crime. Gavin himself began committing various crimes in the mid-1970s and until 2010, he amassed eight convictions on charges of theft, drug possession and distribution, and illegal possession of a firearm. During one of these incidents, he suffered a stab wound to the face that later led to the loss of his left eye that had be replaced with a glass one.

In 2010, after being released from prison yet again, Gavin moved in to live illegally at the apartment of his older brother at the Carter G. Woodson Houses, a public housing complex for seniors located in the Brownsville neighborhood. A doctor who had been treating her also suggested that it was highly likely that McKinney could have lost consciousness and fallen to the floor without outside assistance, as she suffered from diabetes and hypertension. On this basis, he signed a death certificate–without examining the body–stating that McKinney had died of natural causes. Diane Johnson, president of the Carter G. Woodson Houses Residents' Association, demanded at monthly meetings with representatives of the New York City Housing Authority–the owners of the complex–that the Authority managers install surveillance cameras in the building; but the managers advised her to contact the City Council, which traditionally funded the installation of cameras in other housing complexes managed by NYCHA. According to him, the motive for the killings was financial gain and disputes over small amounts of money. His admissions were partially corroborated after a DNA test linked him to prints found at the James crime scene. As there was no evidence to charge him in the deaths of either Higgins or his brother, Gavin was only charged with the three murders he admitted to.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavin's trial was repeatedly delayed until early 2026. At said trial, he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder before the Brooklyn District Court. On May 20, 2026, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a chance of parole after serving at least 30 years in prison.