Authorities say the “baby-faced” killer who murdered an Upper East Side antiques dealer with a decorative plate, a kitchen knife and “possibly a pen” had previously decapitated another man with a chainsaw.
Alex Rae Scott, a 28-year-old trans woman from Oklahoma who began her gender transition in prison, admitted to the brutal murder of Robin Skocdopol, 63, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, when she was arrested for the January 2020 murder of Kenneth Sabinski, 64, in New York City, records show.
Details of the Oklahoma murder case emerged Monday during a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing, where Scott pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and multiple counts of possession of illegal drugs in Sabinski's death.
Authorities say Scott killed Sabinski, whom he met on a dating app, in her Upper East Side apartment and stole her credit card. Sabinski told police she had no memory of the bloody attack when she turned herself in, and that she “may have killed someone last night,” according to the indictment.
Skokdopol's credit cards, found in Scott's possession, and his unanswered phone calls prompted investigators to search Skokdopol's home in Broken Arrow. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma:.
When police found the home, they found it empty, but with Scott's blood pooled and splattered all around. Investigators quickly determined that Scott had used two different types of saws to dismember the victim's body after the murder, the statement said. Officials said that included decapitating the body.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann said in court that the saw was purchased at a local Walmart.
Skokdopolle's body was discovered in a nearby stream in May of that year. That's what the statement said.
Scott had rented a room in Skokdopolle's apartment and later told associates that he had suddenly left for Dallas as the reason for his disappearance.
In court, Scott, who was wearing heavy eyeshadow and false eyelashes, said he remembered using decorative plates, a kitchen knife and “maybe a pen” to kill Ms Sabinski.
Police said they found Sabinski face-down on the living room floor, covered in blood, with her throat slit and multiple stab wounds.
She was also charged with sexually assaulting a 6-year-old boy in her home state.
The prosecutor thanked police for their diligent investigation into Scott's criminal history.
“I have been a prosecutor for over 41 years and I would be hard-pressed to find a more thorough and sophisticated investigation and prosecution than this case,” Seidemann said in court.
Scott faces 22 years to life in prison as part of his plea agreement with Sabinski. If he is eventually released, Scott will be sent to Oklahoma to serve a 45-year sentence for Skokdopol's murder.
She is due to appear in court again on Sept. 26 to be sentenced for Sabinski's murder.
