A New York City woman is facing murder charges after prosecutors say she lured men with promises of sex and drugs, then robbed them and left them to die. Tabitha Bundrick, already serving a 13-year federal sentence for narcotics offenses tied to the same deaths, appeared in New York State Supreme Court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the deaths of Mario Paullan, Miguel Angel Navez Ramirez, and Abrihan Rofer Fernandez Rodriguez, per the New York Times. According to prosecutors, Bundrick targeted the three men over a span of 10 months between 2023 and 2024. Held on Rikers Island on burglary charges tied to the case, she could receive 25 years to life if convicted of the new state charges.
She allegedly approached men on the street in Washington Heights, invited them to vacant apartments or their own homes, and shared fentanyl-laced drugs, per the AP. Once the men were unconscious, she reportedly stole their belongings and left. Each of the three men died after these encounters. The case adds to a string of recent prosecutions in Manhattan involving victims drugged and robbed after being targeted, often outside bars. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg called Bundrick's alleged behavior "extremely calculated."
Bundrick's attorney in the federal case says his client isn't a criminal mastermind, but rather a woman caught in a cycle of addiction and trauma. They cited a history of poverty, sexual abuse, and drug use, describing the deaths as unintentional, noting Bundrick took the same drugs as the men. Bundrick herself expressed remorse in a letter before her federal sentencing, writing, "I deeply regret every decision I made and I'm determined to use this experience as a turning point." Bundrick was arrested in March of last year after being found with items belonging to one of the victims. In court on Wednesday, she appeared subdued, eyes downcast, as family members of both the accused and her alleged victims looked on.
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