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…

David B

Isn’t tea baggers a gay term and isn’t the democrat party the home team for gays? The dem party is like the island of misfit toys. JEWS, who will probably vote themselves into concentration camps one day by voting socialist. GAYS, who have to tolerate tea bagging being stolen from them. BLACKS, who vote for their former masters 130% of the time. ATTORNEY’S who say thanks for the cash they make off of the regulations. UNIONS who stuff the pockets of dems who give them crazy contracts so they can stuff the pockets of unioins who stuff the pockets……TEACHERS who teach that socialism is good and that it is also good for little girls and little boys to be taught to hate their president, vp, sec def sec state etc etc.
johnintoledo

He needs the death penalty. We’ll show our respect for justice by killing. We’ll show mercy by not burning him to death.

LDAR

well said.

donald

Firearms.pps
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donald

Firearms.pps
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Final Minority

Using anti second amendment logic I suggest we ban all fire starting devices, (matches, lighter, etc) and ban all flammable liquids.

STFU

shut up… that wound stop fires, they can be created one way or another. Its the people who are hurting other people. why should everyone else be punished for one persons wrong doings…

FreeDotz

I am pretty sure that was sarcasm. Moreover, while that man may have been the most at fault, I think that the local laws and regulations had a great deal at play. When criminals are given a warm bed, hot meals, three cigarettes a day, and cable tv — well I am sure that’s more luxury than this crack-head sees on the streets. While jail might be a deterrent for people who can already afford these things, it sure is an incentive for those who can’t.
Andy Tailor

youre quite right old chap.. the only real key to it all is banning humans from being politicians

Robin

Uh excuse me, but, I don’t know of any human who is a politician just saying

FreeDotz

It’s sad to see so many potentially valid points lose all credibility because of racist undertones. It’s even more sad to see that the one person who has tried calling out all of the racists has lost all credibility because he links racism with the tea-party and the drudge report. While there may be a great deal of racists who agree with the tea party as well as frequent the drudge, they are all not one in the same. Your general grouping together of these three completely separate issues is almost as blind sighted as the all of the fools that attribute this mans horrible behavior with the fact that his skin is black.
Canadanowstrong

Tea baggers! Oh right, a gay term is it? Are you? Are you all loving and powerful? Probably not, just a hater of people who are different in thought and race (you own perhaps). Hate your country, hate your race, hate all values and traditions you deem unworthy of your perception of Utopia! Sorry dude, had to say it, but your polorizing attitude is not helping your country, just like the one you put in the White House(can you still call it white or is that a bad word too?)
Tex A. Montana

The last resort of a fool without a valid rebuttal is to cry “rasist”!
festering loadski

OH NO ITS NOT TRUE..

search your heart…be honest…

www(.)africandictator(.)rg/

shimmering bloadovich

correction, learn about the black folk here.

www(.)africandictator(.)org/
shimmering bloadovich

correction, learn about the black folk here.

www(.)africandictator(.)org/

Marcus

Someone needs to sue the lighter companies or regulate them more. This should be illegal. Or more illegal.
Tex A. Montana

Just another of the numerous examples of the murder of caucasions and mob violence perpetrated by Obama’s and Holder’s people (Holder refers to Black Panthers with clubs as my people). They feel empowered since the BKK (boy king from kenya) occupied the White House. Prepare for the mother of all murderous flash mobs when Obama fails to steal the 2012 election.

Count Yob

Understandable error, since they hadn’t yet put up a photo of the victim when you posted. Media reports usually start out incomplete and error-ridden. That engenders a lot of confusion. Eventually (if we’re lucky) the news outlet supplies missing details and/or corrects the record.

racidnev

D O U C H E B A G G E R

David B

The Tea Party is called teabaggers by the left not douchbagger! Douchbaggers are the OWS “protesters” protesting for more Big-brother, paid for by Big-Brother. Tea Party people are real Americans that care that their country and constitution have been hijacked by mega spending socialists trying to destroy this country for their own sick socialist dreams…ows are fake paid for and organized by obama and van jones.

Mike Alright

Looks like the VAWA has succeeded. Right? Just think if we had more special rights laws that this could be avoided, right?
walletbiopsy

Most likely there will a trial….what a waste of time. Just take him out back, pour lighter fluid on his clothes…..offer him one last cigarette……..

Wayne

I agree… but only after the trial, at which he is duly convicted and sentenced. The waste of time is with the whole lethal injection nonsense.

LDAR

thats if he gets to trial. he cannot be in solitary confinement for very long. or if he gets killed at the actual trial

Ray Wray

Fire Starter!!!

bigballski

spoken like a true Affucan… but did you know Gillespie was black?
a true Affucan wont cay ahh dat much

bigballski

why is everyone so surprised.. they do it to each other everyday in Affuca..
the feral creature left to his own devices prefers oppressive and brutal dicatatorships as evidenced by the FACT that the Affucan contintent is nearly 100 percent black and nearly 100 percent totalitarian dictatorships except for south africa established by “the whites”

Drew

African. The place is called Africa. African continent.

Alfred Rosenberg

If you want to get pedantic about it, Africa refers to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Everything else further south is Ethiopia.

walletbiopsy

Which African continent are you referring to. The one I lived in had 56 different countries, including the islands.

giant bloadski

HERE YOU GO TRICKY

www(.)africandictator(.)org/

bigballski

A F R I C A N .. sir.. indeed but more appropriately prounounced ” Affa’cuh’ ‘” referring the street slang derivation (amer.) I didnt want to confuse anyone

Paul Mcgrath

Wait a minute. I got it. It’s so simple. Make fire illegal. Why didn’t anybody think of that before?

In fact, we need to make illegal all guns, knives, arrows, swords, spears, clubs, batons, bats, pipes, re-bar, hatchets, hammers, mallets, rocks, bricks, grenades, missiles, rockets, torpedoes, tanks, nuclear bombs, vehicles, poison, and especially fire. Why hasn’t anybody thought of making all these things illegal before now?

Why, why why? Darn, darn, darn, double darn… if only someone had thought of making these things illegal before! Sheesh!

eegor

Don’t forget the forks, spoons, sticks, pens, pins, pencils, all tools, plastic bags, water (you might drown somebody), snowballs, ice, batteries, wire, rope, cables, cords, electricity, bottles, keys, etc.

We’ve got to safe!
Jazbo

Man, you are one more sick dude.
FreeDotz

I thought NYC already made all of that illegal. Maybe if that poor woman had the right to bear arms she could have shot the SOB before he had a chance to light the match.

Buck Ofama

ONE BULLET.
DUMP WORTHLESS DEAD VERMIN IN OCEAN.
Vince

Any bets that this crazy cretin has a rap sheet a mile long? When are the POLITICIANS going to stop PANDERING to the black community and start letting police WARN the community of dangerous animals. Soon they will find out that this guy was a walking time bomb who committed MANY crimes before. And how many times has this animal been released from jail by some liberal judge who DARED NOT protect the public because it might have been perceived as racist?

bigballski

IS THIS A HATE CRIME???? WAS SHE WHITE????

bigballski

TEst 123
GT

Say what you will about the murderer’s anti-social behavior, but you have to admit, it adds new meaning to “fighting fire with fire”.

bigballski

low life.

Melinda

Your ignorance makes me laugh, God have mercy on you, for I that day you shall have to give an account for every idle word you have spoken. You certainly will not be so bold or confident in front of Almighty God when it comes to challenging him about his creation. All races have commit heinous crimes, this just happens to be a black person, you cannot associate all ill doing with race people are people and wickedness erupts from Satan not skin colour! Thats just another one of his plans and you are sad enough to fall for it, head first!
Sam

Steal, get fired, trespass, murder. Didn’t even have to see a picture.
Melinda

what has colour got to do with it??? I am a black police woman and I dont go around burning up people and neither do any black people I affiliate with. People of all races commit crime, and Yes certain areas possess ethnic groups with less chance of progression than others but this bears no consequence to making generalisations as you have done.

Kyant Herman

sorry but the majority of communities with black or latino populations are crime infested. don’t deny reality….no more race card…your buddy jesse jackson,etc..ruined that card

FreeDotz

Kyant, race has absolutely no bearing on this situation. The simple fact is that the system should have scooped this guy up years, if not decades before he had the chance to do this. I lived in NYC for 7 years and I know from personal experience that freaks like this are unfortunately not only tolerated, but encouraged to continue acting out of line. If they can’t find a place to sleep and a meal to eat, all they have to do is commit a petty crime and it’s off to jail with a nice warm bed and a hot meal. By committing this crime, this guy unfortunately won the crack-head lottery. NYC will never put this man to death. It’s 5 years of easy living, with free education, cable tv, and an early parole for this guy — and then he’ll be back on the streets to do it all again.

Joe Hadenuff

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

SLOW ROAST HIM IN TIMES SQUARE for a few days and make every NYC public school student AND EVERY DROP–OUT walk by and smell it.

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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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