A Syracuse woman accused of murdering a 93-year-old woman inside the luxurious Skyline apartments pleaded guilty to murder, robbery, and assault during a hearing on Wednesday, officials said.
Victoria Afet, 23, will spend nearly 30 years to life behind bars after accepting a complicated plea in the Onondaga County Court. However, once she is up for parole, there is a possibility she could spend the rest of her life in prison, Syracuse.com reported.
According to reports, Afet followed Connie Tuori to her 12th-floor apartment on Feb. 26, 2021.
The 23-year-old reportedly stabbed the victim, stole items, and suffocated the elderly woman, stuffing several items down her mouth and throat, authorities said.
Afet is also charged with concealing a human corpse after hiding the body in the bedroom. However, Tuori’s body wasn’t discovered until three weeks later after a friend suggested police do a wellness check after she missed a lunch date, CNYCentral reported.
“It’s extremely brutal. First of all, the fact that you have a 93-year-old victim and second is what was done to her,” said Onondaga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle. “This is one of the most brutal cases that I’ve ever seen in my career, and that’s why it warranted the murder in the first degree, which is really a torture-murder.”
After the suspect was charged with a murder-by-torture crime in Tuori’s death, she confessed to a separate incident involving another elderly woman after she robbed her in an elevator in 2021 and stabbed another victim multiple times in 2020.
According to investigators, Afet’s extensive criminal record concluded that she had been arrested ten times within 18 months ahead of her indictment.
Recently, the Skyline Apartments have been dubbed as a crime scene following Tuori’s death. The owners, Tim Green, former Atlanta Falcons star, and his son, Troy, said the building is “under contract” and will be sold to a national buyer.
