A police investigation is underway in Central Park Sunday after a woman was found dead with head trauma.
Photo by Dean Moses
The man who allegedly murdered a beloved homeless artist in Central Park on Sunday beat the life out of her with a stick more than 20 times, according to court documents.
Jonathan Robles, 36, was arraigned virtually from a hospital in criminal court on Oct. 1 for second-degree murder in the killing of Elise Hill, 63, who was found dead with blunt force trauma to the head inside a wooden gazebo near the Boathouse at East 74th Street and East Drive at 9:43 a.m. on Sept. 27.
Court documents show that the bloody incident occurred after the pair had some kind of argument. Robles told police that Hill hit him in the body with a stick, leading him to disarm her and use the makeshift weapon to mercilessly beat her with it upwards of 20 times.
He said he attacked her until she “couldn’t hit me anymore.”
Police and EMS found Hill with blunt force trauma to the head and lacerations to her head and hands. The stick was also discovered covered in blood nearby.
Hill was known to live in the Ramble where she painted pictures of birds and sold them to make a living. She was beloved by those who had known her.
Meanwhile, Robles was remanded in custody. The judge ordered Robles to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
