Accused UES Killer Left Murder Scene Wearing Victim's Clothes: DA

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Oklahoma man accused of committing the Upper East Side's first murder in two years left the scene of the grisly killing wearing the victim's clothing, prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's office said during the man's arraignment.

Security cameras outside the victim's apartment building on East 83rd Street between Park and Lexington avenues captured video of 24-year-old Alex Ray Scott wearing a jacket belonging to victim Kenneth Savinski, suffering bloody wounds on his hands and counting money, according to a criminal complaint released by the DA's office. The footage was taken two hours after Scott accompanied Savinski — who was wearing the black jacket at the time — as they entered the building on the night on Jan. 28.

The gray jacket worn by Scott as they entered the building was left inside Savinski's apartment covered in blood, according to the criminal complaint.

Scott walked into a police precinct the following afternoon and told detectives "I think I may have killed someone last night," according to the DA's criminal complaint. When Scott turned himself in he was in possession Savinski's driver's license and three of his credit cards. Scott used the cards multiple times following Savinski's murder, police said.

Savinski's body was discovered on the night of Jan. 28 when a concerned friend went to check on him after calls and text messages went unanswered, police said. Upon discovering the body, the friend called police, an NYPD spokesman said. Savinski suffered deep lacerations to his throat and across his face, according to a criminal complaint. Numerous sharp objects in the man's apartment were shattered, with some pieces found inside the man's wounds, according to the complaint.

Scott and Savisnkis reportedly met using an online dating app, the Daily News reported. Scott came to New York City from Oklahoma, where he was arrested in 2018 for child molestation, according to the report. An Oklahoma judge issued a warrant for Scott in late January after he failed to appear for a number of court hearings related to the accusations.

Scott was charged with second-degree murder for the death of Savinski, according to prosecutors. A state judge ordered Scott to be held without bail following his arraignment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4.

The homicide was the first in more than two years on the Upper East Side, according to crime statistics collected by the NYPD's 19th Precinct. The 19th precinct did not record a murder in all of 2019. Crimes such as felony assault and misdemeanor assault have dropped in the neighborhood since 2019, according to the precinct's stats, but robberies have nearly tripled year to date.

Savinski's neighbors described him as a friendly man who went to church often, the New York Post reported.