By LYDIA WARREN
Last updated at 6:57 PM on 18th December 2011
She knew something was going to happen: Beloved community activist was 'terrified of ex-boyfriend who burned her to death'
Deslores Gillespie, a beloved community activist who looked after her neighbors, was terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who allegedly doused her in gasoline and burned her to death in a Brooklyn, New York, elevator, friends said.
The 47-year-old man, who used to live with Ms Gillespie in her fifth-floor apartment, turned himself into police today, reeking of gasoline, and admitted to setting a fire, authorities said.
Neighbors were shocked at the news Ms Gillespie, 64, died screaming after the man sprayed her with gasoline and set her alight with a gasoline bomb as she cowered in the elevator and tried to protect her face with he hands, police said.
She had just returned from grocery shopping and the man, who has not been identified, apparently was laying in wait for her -- attacking as soon as the elevator door slid open.
Murder scene: This is the Brooklyn elevator where Delores Gillespie died in horrible agony as she was burned to death by her ex-boyfriend
Saw it coming: Dorinda Thomas, a neighbor and relative of Ms Gillespie, said the victim was terrified of her ex-boyfriend
Her clothes on fire and screaming for help. He sprayed her a third time before fleeing, New York 1 reported.
'She was so scared of this guy. She was desperately scared of him,' Dorinda Thomas, Ms Gillespie's 56-year-old relative, told the New York Daily News.
'She knew that something was going to happen to her in that building. She knew this and everyone around here knew this.'
The horrifying attack lasted a minute and was caught on two surveillance cameras at the 203 Underhill Avenue apartment block.
Gillespie, who had just returned from grocery shopping, turned and crouched in an attempt to protect herself, according to police.
But the man, who was wearing a protective mask on top of his head, sprayed her directly in the face and over her head and body as she retreated to the back of the elevator.
Caught on camera: A still from surveillance video allegedly shows a man spraying Delores Gillespie, who was in her 60s, with a flammable liquid in an elevator. He then lit a Molotov cocktail and set her alight
Caught on camera: A still from surveillance video allegedly shows a man spraying Delores Gillespie, who was in her 60s, with a flammable liquid in an elevator. He then lit a Molotov cocktail and set her alight, police said
He then pulled out a barbeque-style lighter and used it to ignite a rag in a bottle.
He waited for a few seconds before using the flames to set her alight and throwing the bottle inside the lift.
The attacker ran away, using the apart block's staircase, leaving the woman to die in agony. Gillespie, who neighbours believe grew up in Louisiana and suffered a mental illness, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Horror: Police arrive at the apartment block in Brooklyn, New York, where Gillespie lived on the fifth floor. A man had been waiting for her to return from grocery shopping and attacked her as the elevator doors opened
Police said they believe the unidentified man, who was 'known to the victim', had been waiting for Gillespie to return home.
'It was apparent he knew she was on the elevator,' New York City police spokesman Paul Browne said.
'I’ve never seen anything like this before, and I’ve been doing this a long time'
Unnamed officer, New York Police Department
According to the New York Post, the man is Gillespie's former boyfriend. The paper adds that, before the deadly attack, the man had glued shut the locks on her apartment.
‘I’ve never seen any s*** like this, and I’ve been doing this a long time,’ an unnamed detective added.
No arrests have yet been made, but investigators are checking for the suspect at local hospitals after he appears to have sustained burns to his face and hands, the New York Times reported.
Firefighters and the police arrived at the apartment block at 4 p.m. after residents reported fire and smoke - but remained unaware of the elevator horror.
Neighbours described their shock at the terrifying incident, which occured on the building's fifth floor, where Gillespie had lived 'for years'.
Shock: Neighbours, who believe Gillespie was mentally ill, said they had heard screams on the fifth floor
‘I’m in shock,’ neighbor Chris Martinez, 38, told the Daily News. ‘We didn’t know she had any enemies.’
She had often complained other tenants were stealing from her – yet neighbours believe she was simply paranoid.
Her son had been staying with her in recent months. Another neighbour said the woman was a postal worker.
One neighbor, who identified himself to the Daily News as 'John', said he heard loud screams before smoke started filling the hallways.
‘It was high-pitched yelling,’ he said. He then ran downstairs and heard ‘popping sounds’ from the elevator shaft.
‘The elevator sounded like it was boiling paint,’ he said.
‘You could see the flames in the elevator shaft and hear crackling,’ Olson added.
Five other people were hurt in the fire, but not seriously injured.
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