NEW YORK – A handyman who burned a 73-year-old woman to death in a New York City elevator has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors say 48-year-old Jerome Isaac was sentenced Friday for killing Deloris Gillespie inside her Brooklyn apartment building days before Christmas in 2011.
Authorities say Isaac surprised Gillespie when the elevator doors opened, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire before throwing a firebomb in with her. He turned himself in a day later. The attack was captured on a security camera.
Police say Isaac told them he attacked Gillespie because he believed she owed him money.
Isaac pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in November. Prosecutors say he told probation officials conducting a mental health evaluation that he got orders from the devil.
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