Parents traded sex with daughter for minivan
Nineteen-year-old Kevin Pravia either committed suicide in a very strange way, or he was murdered by a strong, committed, twisted killer.
Pravia's roommate discovered the Pace University honors student dead in the apartment they shared in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood on Sunday night. Pravia lay face-up in his bed, a cord around his neck. Plastic had been jammed into his mouth.
But the New York Daily News reported that there was no sign forced entry into the apartment Pravia shared with his female roommate. Additionally, even though Pravia's death appeared on the surface to be the result of a homicide, investigators haven't ruled anything out. He could have died from suicide or even misadventure.
If Pravia was murdered, he may have been killed by a physically powerful and motivated killer -- various search engine hits revealed an athletic background while he was still a high school student in Pittsfield, MA. Photos on Facebook show a trim young man, likely still in good shape. If he committed suicide, the whole story becomes much more murky -- why? Was it intentional, or was he experimenting, in some fashion?
Those are questions that really need not be answered publicly. If Pravia killed himself, his death will be a private tragedy for his family and friends to deal with. This sounds a little too much like murder, at the moment. If he was killed by someone else, all of Chelsea should be on the lookout. [MyFoxNY.com and the New York Daily News via Gothamist.]







Please don't post speculations as though they are news, that's how rumors are started. Kevin was a classmate of mine and although I didn't know him very well I did know that he was a very kind and well-liked person, his family and friends don't need rumors about this.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 01:02:03 AMthere is absolutely no way that Kevin killed himself.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 01:58:13 AMif you'd like to know a bit more about one of the most amazing people i've ever known, feel free to email me.
Kevin was such a nice guy in school. He made my freshman year a little better with a smile on his face in the hallways, I didn't know him very well but my brother did, and I know as Kevin's friend, he's devistated. Whoever would do such a thing to a good and kind person...it's just incredible what today's society will do. To Kevin and his family, you are all in my prayers. Rest in peace Kevin. We miss you.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 08:23:04 AMKevin was a great guy who I got to know when he first came to Pace. No one deserves to die this way. People should respect his friends and family and not start rumors.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 01:56:13 PMKevin is in a better place now and my prayers are with him and his family.
Me and Kevin were Facebook friends for a while and we used to talk to eachother on the phone, Eventually when we became friendly enough me and him were going to get coffee and hang out. Maybe become real pals I'm so sorry this happened. It's horrible. I'm so sorry to his family and my prayers go out to you.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 02:04:44 PMPic of the guy who confessed come out yet?
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:45:01 PMNot that I've been able to find. In fact, as of this writing, his name hasn't been released.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:55:47 PMIt was most likely a combination of drugs, sex and robbery. It is unknown whether the 22 y/o perp was invited there for drugs, sex or both. The perp claimed that he was merely there to sell drugs but the homoerotic aspect is clear.
1) Kevin was gay
2) None of his [female] roommate's belongings or jewelry were taken
3) Kevin was found in his bed, dressed in boxers (one wouldn't disrobe for a drug dealer)
4) The perp was apparently in the apt for several hours
My guess is that a drunken Kevin invited the perp up to have sex and buy drugs. Whether the guy had any intention of sex is unknown; he may have pretended just so that he can rob Kevin. Such baiting (usually by straight men) is common. The boxers and length in the apt makes me think that there's more to it than buying drugs. As for the roommate's belongings, the perp may not have known that there was a roommate. Or maybe he was so high that he only took what was in front of him. Or the two may have had a history together, and he only targeted Kevin.
For what it's worth, I'm not judging Kevin at all. I think inviting strangers to have [protected] sex is fine in a better world. I even think recreational drugs may be okay. Sadly, it turned out badly for him.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 05:43:10 PMADDENDUM
By several accounts, Kevinwas openly gay and the neighbors knew it. I believe The Daily News even quoted a neighbor, giving her name. A local TV station also mentioned it. It was not a secret or something he was ashamed of.
While I still suspect that sex was somehow involved, friends suggested a better scenario. They could've simply been acquaintances who traded in drugs, and Kevin allowed him to crash. That would explain why he disrobed. Kevin was merely sleeping like he normally does. In fact, the scenario explains why he was in boxers and t-shirt, and not nude. That would also explain why the suspect stayed several hours; perhaps things started off normally and the murder happened at the end. In his panic to escape, he only took Kevin's stuff and not his roommate's.
The question then is whether the murder was intentional (i.e. over payment), or drug induced (the suspect was high). Okay, I can now see why sex is not necessary to explain the disrobing and length of stay.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 03:56:04 AM@ Brian...your uninformed, offensive, and utterly ridiculous theory is not needed by anyone. You should write that absurd plot for some daytime soap-opera, not suggest it as something that his friends and family may read. Also at the time you posted this the police had already captured the guy who did it and had been questioning him. It is now known that this had nothing to do with sex or the fact that Kevin was gay, the guy who did it was just a freaking nut-job and it makes me absolutely sick that this happened to such a great guy.
Posted 09/05/2008 at 01:15:14 AMit was just a senseless crime. this is NYC and it happens all the time...it just happened to happen to a young kid with a lot of promise this time....and it is tragic. Rest in peace, Kevin. My best goes out to his family in this horrible time...and to 'bryan' - quoting the Daily News is an ignorant mistake on your part. Everyone in NYC knows the Daily News is lower on the ladder than even the National Enquirer and it is not the place anyone looks to for valid information, but yet rather gossipy offensive headlines to sell their crappy newspaper. You really made yourself look like a fool by calling on it to prove your theories.
Posted 09/07/2008 at 02:06:02 PMit was just a senseless crime. this is NYC and it happens all the time...it just happened to happen to a young kid with a lot of promise this time....and it is tragic. Rest in peace, Kevin. My best goes out to his family in this horrible time...and to 'bryan' - quoting the Daily News is an ignorant mistake on your part. Everyone in NYC knows the Daily News is lower on the ladder than even the National Enquirer and it is not the place anyone looks to for valid information, but yet rather gossipy offensive headlines to sell their crappy newspaper. You really made yourself look like a fool by calling on it to prove your theories.
Posted 09/07/2008 at 02:06:09 PM