Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering 85-Year-Old Mount Vernon Grandmother

A man pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering a beloved New York grandmother last winter for some copper pipes and a flat-screen TV.

Lloyd Lewis, 33, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the death of 85-year-old Emma Gruber, who was found dead in her Mount Vernon home on Feb. 12, 2014.

Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore said Gruber was "a trusting, vibrant, churchgoing octogenarian" who lost her life "over some copper plumbing and a few household items."

grandma-gruber
Emma Gruber, 85, was known for fostering children and giving out candy in her community.

Gruber was last seen alive on Feb. 10, 2014, when a Dole Senior Center bus dropped her off at her home in the afternoon.

After two days of searching by friends and relatives, Mount Vernon detectives discovered her body under a large pile of clothes at the foot of her basement stairs. A bloodstained two-by-four was found nearby.

The search for her killer comes as hundreds of people turn out to mourn the death of Emma Gruber in a prayer vigil. Checkey Beckford reports

Investigators determined that she died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

A flat-screen TV, jewelry, copper pipes and brass objects were stolen from her home. The pieces of jewelry were sold to a pawn shop and the copper and brass were sold to a scrap yard.

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Lewis was arrested a few weeks later, on March 3, 2014, for allegedly burglarizing an abandoned home in Gruber's neighborhood.

He will be sentenced on May 14. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

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