Man Charged in Murder of NYC College Student

by Kilian Melloy
EDGE Contributor


The alleged killer of a college sophomore expressed no remorse when he spoke with his father and confronted the media, multiple news sources reported.

22-year-old Jeromie Cancel was charged in connection with the Labor Day weekend slaying of Kevin Pravia, an honor student at Pace University.

Pravia was murdered in the Chelsea, NY, apartment he shared with roommate Josephine Madonna, who discovered his body when she returned from a trip out of town.

Cancel claimed responsibility for the slaying, describing to authorities how he punched Pravia in the face, then wrapping a cord around his neck and suffocating him.

Cancel had been detained by police on an unrelated matter, after Cancel's father reported that he had been robbed, reported The New York Times in a Sept. 2 story.

According to GLBT news site Towleroad, the victim was a gay man.

Police said that though Pravia had been found in his underwear, there was no indication that anything sexual had taken place.

Cancel told authorities that he had met Pravia early on the morning of Aug. 30 in Union Square Park. According to the suspect, he had gone to the park looking to buy drugs; police said there was no evidence that Pravia had supplied any drugs to Cancel.

As reported in the NY Times and The New York Post, Cancel said that he had accompanied Pravia back to the student's apartment before attacking and killing him. Then, Cancel said, he watched a movie while sitting next to Pravia's body: the 2004 horror film Saw.

Cancel then left the apartment, taking Pravia's iPod, laptop and cell phone, which he said that he subsequently sold.

Cancel was charged with first- and second-degree murder following his confession, but he exhibited no remorse. In photos published at the New York Post, Cancel looked into the camera lens with a smile.

At some point following the murder, Cancel seems to have gone to his father's apartment in Queens, Towleroad reported; Cancel's father, Jesus Soto, described his son's demeanor to the Post, saying, "He's mentally imbalanced."

Added Cancel's father, "He seemed off-balance. He didn't seem right."

In June, the media sources said, Cancel had stayed with Soto for a couple of weeks before disappearing, along with some of Soto's property, including a PlayStation.

Towleroad and the Post quoted Soto as saying that when Cancel visited him in the Queens apartment, "All the time he was gloating, like it didn't mean nothing to him."

"He was not remorseful, like he was happy with what he did."

Added Soto, "He had this big smile on him."

Police showed up at Soto's apartment to take Cancel into custody.

The Post quoted Soto as saying, "I called the cops, and when they pulled up... he just turned to the cops and told them he just killed someone."

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The Post reported that as Cancel was taken out of police headquarters, he told reporters that he had killed Pravia "because I wanted to," and then challenged, "You got a problem with that?"