Elevator Suspect's Face Horribly Burned

Should Jerome Isaac want to plead not guilty in the murder of Delores Gillespie, who was burned alive in the elevator of her Brooklyn apartment building on Saturday, a wrench: On top of the fact that the crime was caught on video, his face is also horribly burned. The New York Post reports on Isaac's appearance in court yesterday, in which prosecutor Kenneth Taub noted that, "The evidence of this particularly heinous and brutal murder is beyond question. When he was arrested, he was reeking of accelerant ... The burns on his body are consistent with the images."

The 47-year-old was held without bail, on charges of murder and arson. Isaac reportedly stole Gillespie's DVD player and pots and pans while working as her handyman, the Post notes, then became enraged when she consequently refused to pay him. After he allegedly set her on fire, police say he fled to another building where he previously lived with his brother, who had thrown him out. He apparently set fire to the door of that apartment. (More elevator stories.)