Man Kills Elderly Neighbor With Hammer, Drags Body To Curb: DA

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A Bed-Stuy man beat his elderly neighbor to death with a hammer then dragged her naked body down a flight of stairs and left her on the curb, according to police and court records.

Ryan Wilson, 32, smashed in three car windows before storming into the apartment of Gladys Byers, 68, at 1224 Herkimer Street at about 7:25 p.m. on June 13, police said.

Wilson, who also lives in the Herkimer Street building, first smashed in the windows of a Honda Accord, Dodge pick-up truck and a Dodge Durango before climbing the steps toward his elderly neighbor’s apartment, court records show.

Wilson hit Byer's head three times with his hammer, then grabbed her feet, dragged her down the stairs and left her body at the bottom of the stoop, according to the criminal complaint filed against Wilson.

Byers was wearing only a nightgown, which was pulled up around her neck, according to the complaint.

Emergency responders rushed Byers, who suffered extensive brain damage and skull fractures, to Brookdale Hospital, where she died from her injuries six days later, said police.

Wilson was arrested on June 14th when a police officer found him holding a knife and the bloody hammer inside his apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

The Brooklyn man now faces 22 criminal charges that include attempted murder, assault with a weapon, burglary and menacing, court records show.

Wilson, who was held without bail, is being represented by the Legal Aid Society, court records show.

The Legal Aid Society declined to comment on the case.

Photo by Patch reporter Renee Schiavone