MANHATTAN, NY – A young couple has been accused of the brutal slaying of a Manhattan woman in her newly inherited apartment. The pair, who had been squatting in the victim’s home, allegedly went on a lavish spending spree with her stolen credit cards, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The victim, 52-year-old Nadia Vitels, was discovered by her son on March 14, concealed in a duffel bag beneath a mound of coats in her East 31st Street apartment. Vitels’ pet dog was found alone at the crime scene.
The accused, 19-year-old Halley Tejada and 18-year-old Kensley Alston, reportedly fled the scene in Vitels’ Lexus SUV and headed towards Pennsylvania. In the nine days before their capture, they allegedly used Vitels’ credit cards to fund extravagant purchases, including clothing, food, and high-end electronics.
Vitels, a marketing professional who once managed tennis player Maria Sharapova’s candy brand, had just returned from a trip to Spain and was in the process of moving into the apartment, which had been vacant for several months following her mother’s death.
Security footage showed the accused entering the apartment less than 90 minutes after Vitels had dropped off some of her belongings. When Vitels confronted the squatters two days later, a violent altercation ensued, resulting in her death.
The autopsy report revealed that Vitels had suffered severe blunt force trauma, including multiple facial fractures, two broken ribs, and a brain injury. The accused were eventually apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Lower Paxton Township following a car crash in the stolen vehicle. Both are currently being held without bail pending further court appearances.