By Jeremy Walsh
The Ridgewood man accused of murdering a Pace University student in his Chelsea apartment last month almost walked out the door with a few stolen items before turning around and strangling the young man, prosecutors said.
On Aug. 30, Jeromie Cancel, 22, met Kevin Pravia, 19, at Union Square, the New York Post reported. Pravia brought Cancel back to his apartment at 239 West 15th St., according to a criminal complaint filed by the Manhattan district attorney's office.
When Pravia fell asleep, Cancel took a laptop computer, a cell phone and an iPod, the Post said. As he was walking out the door around 8 a.m., Cancel turned around and decided to wrap an electrical cord around the neck of Pravia, who was lying in bed, court papers show.
“The defendant pulled on the cord and began to choke the deceased,” the complaint said. “The deceased tried to stop the defendant and the defendant punched the deceased. The defendant grabbed a plastic bag, placed the bag in the deceased's mouth, and put his hand on the deceased's nose to stop the deceased from breathing.”
Cancel then sat down in the apartment and watched the horror movie “Saw” on Pravia's laptop, the Post reported.
Cancel confessed to the murder, the complaint said. He was charged with first-degree murder, the complaint said.
The 22-year-old was arrested early in the morning Sept. 2 when he went to his father's Ridgewood home, the Post reported. He had previously lived with his father for a few weeks in June before burglarizing the home and running away, the newspaper said. Police listed Cancel as homeless.
Cancel's MySpace page listed his hometown with the area codes of Miami, Fla., and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
