Family: Suspect In Brooklyn Woman’s Burning Death Once Worked For Victim

December 18, 2011 11:59 PM

Deloris Gillespie (credit: Councilwoman Letitia James)

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police say handyman Jerome Isaac, 47, set his employer on fire in her own apartment building elevator as revenge over a financial dispute.

Investigators say he told them he was angry at Deloris Gillespie, saying the 73-year-old owed him $2,000.

Police say he dressed like an exterminator, with white gloves and a dust mask on his head, he had a canister of flammable liquid, used to methodically spray Gillespie head to toe before using a barbeque lighter to ignite a Molotov cocktail he threw it into the small elevator.

Gillespie was getting off the elevator at her Underhill Avenue apartment in Prospect Heights. She died in agony, cowering against the back of the elevator with her shopping bags.

Family: Suspect In Brooklyn Womans Burning Death Once Worked For Victim

The aftermath of the fire that claimed the life of Deloris Gillespie. (Credit:Alex Silverman WCBS 880)

“Sad, I started really crying,” said Evelyn Diaz, Gillespie’s friend. “What this person did to her I said ‘What went through your mind when you did that to this poor lady’?”

Gillespie’s distraught family and neighbors brought flowers and candles to the stoop of the building at 203 Underhill Avenue. Some said they had worried about her business arrangement with Isaac, nicknamed “Can Man” by some people in the neighborhood because he collected bottles, cans and other items for recycling.

Gillespie’s friends say she hired Isaac to do odd jobs around her apartment on the second floor. And they say the two had fights over money and she fired him.

Around the corner from the crime scene at 315 Lincoln Place is the second floor apartment Isaac shares with his brother.

Police say after he murdered Gillespie, he returned home and set small fires at the front of his own own apartment. Later, police say, with his clothes still smelling of gasoline he turned himself in.

Next door neighbor, Eric Charles, 42, said Isaac moved there several years ago.

“It’s really shocking and you recognized that’s the guy next door when they show me the pictures, even more crazy. I never thought something like that would happen,” he told CBS 2′s Dave Carlin.

Gillespie is survived by four adult children, three sons and a daughter, and also a grandchild.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman reports

Rickey Causey, Gillespie’s nephew, said that Isaac had worked for Gillespie but was fired after being caught stealing from her.

“Yeah, he was robbing her. So she fired him,” he told WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman. “She got three locks on the door.”

Causey was in the building Saturday but says he heard nothing.

“I should’ve been there. I should’ve been outside. I should’ve been there,” he said.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Terry Sheridan reports

Causey said that Isaac had left a list of chores on Gillespie’s door for which he was demanding payment.

Police charged Isaac with two counts of murder and one count of arson.

How can future acts of extreme violence be averted? You can voice your opinion in our comments section below…

Gene Zippy

We are insane. We let the insane, who could murder again, to live. Yet? If someone was deemed sane when he committed a murder? He is the one we say should die. Its the insane one who should be automatically put to sleep. Not the sane one who might not murder again. Yet,,both should be served justice. You murdered? There is only one way to guarantee you will never cross that line again. Only one way.

Steve Chang

If there was a TSA checkpoint in all bbuildings, this kind of thing would not happen!! GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS AND LET THE NAZIS SAVE US… THEY ARE HERE TO HELP

KCEddie

They should have shot him and save tax payers money !
Compton Singh

How can future acts of extreme violence be averted?

I suppose this is being asked just to start a dialogue with no discernible objective.

Anyone familiar with the psychological makeup of the human being will know we cannot avoid this type of violence. The best we can do is educate people, but everyone has an opinion about what education is or should be.

Then there is the problem of mental illness and temporary insanity due to rage.

I don’t think we can avoid this.

tv

Mayor Bloonberg should take away matches and fire from all NYC’ers.

Some of you obviously cannot be trusted with fire……just like firearms and conceal carry.

Bryan Wilcutt

The perp will be found insane and sent off to a padded room with TV, 3 square meals a day, and exercise…. it’s like he’ll win a life time trip to Club Med.
Anthony

She should of had a Gun. Pro 2nd Amendment and Pro Constitution. Ron Paul 2012 from Florida

Spanky

She wouldn’t have been able to pull out her weapon and fire before she was engulfed in flames.

Rifleman

How the heck could you know that from reading the story? How long exactly did it take him to squirt fuel on her and then light it with a lighter. A trained and practiced person can employ a handgun very quickly. He might have had a harder time operating the lighter after a double tap. You’re silly Spanky.

“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert Heinlein
It is not the cops role to protect you. If you want to not be a defenseless victim, you must be prepared to protect yourself.
Joe Hadenuff

she could have shot him the first time she caught him stealing.

You stupid anti-gun whack jobs should put “THERE ARE NO GUNS IN THIS HOUSE” on your front doors and your bedroom windows.
FreeDotz

Pulling a gun out of your pocket/purse and pulling the trigger doesn’t take anywhere near as long as it does to pull out a gas can, douse your victim with gasoline, and then reach into your pocket, pull out a box of matches, open the box of matches, take out a match, strike the match, and then throw the match at your victim. I don’t care how old this woman was, the math involved here was clearly on her side. It’s a shame that her local laws weren’t.

Becker

It is difficult to know someone’s limit, the criminal no doubt felt justified, the criminal stole from the victim, the victim fired him and the criminal felt justified in killing the victim, this is a very strange and over kill form of retribution. Read the book, Why They Kill by Rhoades. It will help you know how violent a person is. If they are violent by nature, there is no solution. You will need to be ready for kill or be killed scenario.

Buck Ofama

>the criminal no doubt felt justified,

Oh, in that case (sniff, snivel) they should let the poor thing (sniff, sob) go free and (sob, boo hoo) seize the victim’s property and give it (snivel) to the poor perp.

John

I wonder if this helps or hurts our image in other countries. Come to America, and get toasty!
S.O.B.

“wreaking of gasoline”? Wow. Must be a public school student.
FRANZ LIEBKIN

LETS NOT GET CARRIED AWAY HERE…….SHE DIDNT PAY HIM FOR WORK DONE……REMEMBER AN HONEST DAYS WORK FOR AN HONEST DAYS PAY

David Powell

Who says he actually did the work, and who says he wasn’t paid if he did? Can’t just go on the word of a murderer, if he had a case he should have called Judge Judy. He is an murdering crook and a vicious punk and needs to die now.

D

The answer is to ban flammable liquids.

D as in DUMB

And when people find other things that they can use to kill people, then what?

People like you never ever understand root causes.

an

Sarcasm anyone? (over your head)
babydriver

D as iin Dumb is right .

pancholopez

LOL…yea!!! Even better than that let’s make all fire illegal or maybe even heat itself. ÷)

squeegeeman

Soak him down, Light the match.
Vietvet68

Thisis a racist hate crime.
WildMan

Carry a gun and know how to use it, that is the ONLY answer to this sort of violence in a decaying America. The old America would not have had this sort of violence because there would have been work enuff for everyone.
S. Nunya

“How can future acts of extreme violence be averted?”

First of all,you can establish a “justice” system that puts people to the rack,draws and quarters them,and still this sort of thing will happen.
“fixing the justice system” so that all the evil,no goodniks featured on the nightly news “get what they deserve” will not fix anything.

Violence,sadly,is a reality of life.

But I wonder…..if the victim in this story had a gun,would she still be dead?

D.C.

No, she would not be dead, someone else would be deservedly dead. She did not deserve this.

Dude

Wreaking? Bwahahahahahaha.
TJP

Burning to death is about the most horrible way you can go. A simple execution doesn’t seem enough for this guy, but it would be a start.
Armed Texan

DON’T BLAZE ME BRO!

2inthehat

omg, you are so going to hell for that. i hate to say it but: lol

Armed Texan

I’ll have a beer waiting for you.
Armed Texan

I’ll have a beer waiting for you. Sorry if it’s not cold.

Daniel

Never fire someone for stealing. Instead, go to the police to report the incident and tell them you want the theif prosecuted. Offenders need to know at once that they are out-numbered.
Osamas Pajamas

No parole for first offense, 25-year minimum sentence, let them eat rice and wear pink and work in the sun like Sheriff Joe makes them do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That was funny along with the low class Jets
D

Another loser firefighter
Amie

It’s “reeking” of gasoline, not “wreaking”! Please get it right!

David Heath

Still haven’t been bothered to correct…

zaanga

who cares…a woman was burned to death and you worry about spelling IDIOT

Linda Moore

Nope, got it wrong again. The idiot is the one that cannot spell.

And, finding acceptable the inability to not spell or know grammar is another sign of public school education.

Cut public school budgets drastically, fire union teachers (they are not held accountable for teaching) because their bloated (70% of school budget) administration is run by people who cannot spell but only spend.

Spend money on teaching children instead of out of control administrative management and costs.

Denise E. Rogers

I’m hoping that you are not serious, please say that you are not serious, because your comment is the most cold-hearted thing I have EVER EVER read from anyone. Puck your football game.

jb2817

Tool smoke,,,dirty sanchez butt slams that fat pig ryan after every game

radicaltruth

death penalty – quick and decisive

Denise E. Rogers

You people have been in that city for too long and it appears only care about yourselves, unless of course there’s a terrorist attack and it’s affecting you.

Bill E Bob

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hot+town+summer+in+the+city&mid=C07D7526192257FC1D6DC07D7526192257FC1D6D&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

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Family: Suspect In Brooklyn Woman’s Burning Death Once Worked For Victim

December 18, 2011 11:59 PM

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