Man convicted of killing woman, stuffing body in duffel bag in NYC apartment to spend at least 2 decades behind bars
A man convicted of killing a woman in a New York City apartment and stuffing her body into a duffel bag was sentenced to 20 years to life on Tuesday.
Halley Tejada was in a Manhattan courtroom after he pleaded guilty in December to second-degree murder.
Tejada and Kensly Alston were arrested in 2024 for the brutal murder of 52-year-old Nadia Vitels. Alston's case is still pending. She has pleaded not guilty.
"This animal took her from me"
Misha Vitels, the victim's son, spoke to the judge during sentencing.
"Her laugh was the weirdest, most infectious sound. I hear it in my head," he said. "It was just us against the world. It's just me now. I'm alone now. This animal took her from me."
Misha Vitels ended his victim impact statement by saying he would honor his mother by trying to "live my life the Nadia way ... to the fullest with hard work, with selflessness, with courage."
Later, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released the following statement:
"Nadia Vitels was about to start a new chapter of her life when Halley Tejada brutally murdered her in the very apartment she was moving into. Halley Tejada has been sentenced to a sentence of 20-years-to-life in state prison for his abhorrent and fatal conduct. My thoughts are with Ms. Vitels' loved ones who continue to mourn her painful loss. I know this sentence will not bring her back, but I hope it can serve as a measure of comfort."
What happened to Nadia Vitels?
The NYPD said Nadia Vitels' son found her body in a closet in a Kips Bay apartment in March 2024.
Police said Tejada and Alston were squatting in the apartment when Vitels showed up to move either herself or someone else in. The apartment had been vacant since Vitels' mother died months before, sources previously told CBS News New York.
The suspects returned to the apartment after Vitels arrived, surprised her and beat her to death, officers said.
The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head.
"The kind of fracture typically seen when someone gets struck by a train or falls from a great height," a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Suspects steal car and take off
Prosecutors say Tejada and Alston stole the victim's Lexus and credit cards, set up a new life in Pennsylvania, "and got engaged with a diamond they purchased with Ms. Vitels' money."
The suspects, who were teenagers at the time, were arrested in York, Pennsylvania, about 185 miles away from Manhattan, for allegedly driving the stolen car.
