The family of a Brooklyn woman allegedly brutally strangled by an accused serial killer neighbor plans to sue the New York Housing Authority for $25 million over what they’re calling shoddy security.
Juanita Caballero, 78, was found lying on the floor of the hallway in the Woodson Houses in Brownsville by her son last week. A telephone cord had been wrapped around her neck.
A neighbor, handyman Kevin Gavin, was arrested in her death and the killings of two other elderly women in the complex.
The legal claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, accuses NYCHA of wrongful death and negligence.
NYCHA failed to heed numerous complaints from residents and local officials about a lack of security cameras, guards and functional locks, according to the document.
But NYCHA also simply failed to follow its own rules, said lawyer Adam Deutsch, who reps Caballero’s family.
“You’re not allowed to live in a NYCHA building with a criminal record,” said Deutsch, noting Gavin’s record of burglary and drug charges.
“He should never have been in the building, irrespective of the clear lack of security … Clearly, when theres multiple murders you can’t just sit back and wait, you have to do something affirmative.”
NYCHA declined comment.