Woman, 64, strangled by older brother in Brooklyn apartment they shared: NYPD

A 64-year-old woman was strangled by her older brother in the Brooklyn apartment they shared, police said Monday.

Cops at first did not suspect foul play when they found Mary Fagan dead in her apartment on St. Johns Place near Bedford Ave. in Crown Heights about 5:55 p.m. on July 26.

But she had neck bruises, and her 68-year-old brother, Thomas Fagan, later confessed to strangling her, according to police. A city medical examiner autopsy also confirmed she was strangled.

The siblings lived at the apartment for two years. Mary Fagan was a nurse said to “love her work,” one neighbor said.

“Nobody had any suspicions and nobody heard anything. I’m in a state of shock,” the neighbor said. “I spoke to both of them and they were always very pleasant I never heard them argue, fight or anything.”

The brother was arrested for the slaying on Saturday. He was ordered held without bail when he was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court the next day.

The suspect has no prior arrests — and police had never been called to the apartment he shared with his sister for any fight or disturbance.

Thomas Fagan’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

“You would never think to look at him, he was so well bred, the way he carried himself. He was a proper gentleman,” the neighbor added. “They were both nice people.”
 

Originally Published: August 4, 2025 at 1:39 PM EDT