NEW YORK (AP) — Relatives of a New York City woman torched in her building's elevator say she was a kindhearted woman whose generosity with a down-and-out handyman led to her death.
Deloris Gillespie's children told reporters Thursday that she had been trying to help a homeless man by hiring him to do some work in her Brooklyn apartment.
He is now charged with cornering her in the elevator, spraying her with gasoline and setting her ablaze in an attack on Dec. 17.
He told police she owed him money. She told neighbors he was stealing from her.
Gillespie's family says she was 71.
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at a Brooklyn church. The family says they have no money to pay for the service or other costs related to the death.
