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Found in the New York Times Online


Alleged Two-Strike Killer commits suicide in jail cell

 

By: Ethan Kapoor
Published: June 6th, 2011

The woman accused of killing as many as 22 people in the New York City area committed suicide while awaiting assessment for a potential transfer into special custody.

Caroline Alito, 22, was found unresponsive in her cell Monday morning in the Rose M. Singer Center, the Bronx County district attorney's office said in an e-mailed statement, and she was pronounced dead at about 9:15 a.m.

"Alito was alone in her cell, and all evidence collected thus far indicates that she took her own life," the statement said.

Authorities will investigate to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding her death, the district attorney said.

Alito, a high school drop-out and former resident of North Castle, NY, had confessed to the murder of 22 people in New York City between late 2010 and mid-2011. A search of her apartment revealed what one detective referred to as "alarming evidence" of her guilt, and at the time of questioning a weapon fitting the description of the murder weapon was found in her possession.

Although Alito's lawyer could not be reached for comment, Thomas Salem (36), an advocate with victims services group Survivors Against Fear, or SAF, who had known and worked with Alito for almost two years, said he was shocked and saddened by both Alito's actions and her subsequent death.  

"I don't understand why she did what she did, " Salem said. "She was a troubled girl. It was sad. Nothing seemed to work for her."

Alito, a survivor of the 2006 San Diego Earthquake, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and arrested several times on substance abuse charges. Salem had previously intervened on Alito's behalf to hire  attorney Ed Marshall, 57, and facilitated her placement in court-ordered rehab. She had allegedly been clean for over a year.
 
Although investigation into the suspect's death is already underway, Alito's lawyer had delivered a letter to the suspect's estranged mother, Judith Alito, which a neighbor remarked the suspect's mother considers a suicide note. Though Judith Alito declined to comment, the neighbor said, "In a way, I think she felt her daughter died a long time ago. This was only a formality."

Despite the confession and evidence collected to date, many feel Alito's suicide prevents them from ever truly gaining closure.

"Countless families have suffered from Alito's actions," said attorney Scott Day. "The impending criminal prosecution was their only opportunity to confront her, and now she has taken that away as well."

Alito was taken in for questioning early Sunday morning after police received a tip she had confessed to the murders. She had not yet been formally arraigned.