Inset: Tabitha Bundrick (Penacon.com). Background: The area in Washington Heights where Bundrick allegedly killed one of her victims (Google Maps).
A 38-year-old woman in New York has been arrested after drugging four men in an attempt to rob them, killing three with the fentanyl-laced concoction.
Tabitha Bundrick was taken into custody and charged with three counts of second-degree murder, four counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree burglary, and one count of second-degree assault, authorities announced.
“This callous behavior allegedly led to the deaths of three people. As alleged, each incident was calculated: Tabitha Bundrick knowingly provided fentanyl-laced drugs to incapacitate her victims so she could steal their personal belongings. As a result of our long-term investigation, she is now facing significant charges,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement. “I want to be very clear to those who think they can get away with drugging and robbing unsuspecting victims: working with our law enforcement partners, we will uncover and prosecute this conduct.”
Bundrick last year pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distribution of narcotics and was subsequently sentenced to 13 years in prison. That sentence is to be served concurrently, meaning at the same time, as a potential sentence on the state charges, where she faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
According to a news release from Bragg”s office, the robberies took place between April 2023 and February 2024, and included Bundrick “purposefully” providing the victims with the fentanyl-laced drugs to knock them unconscious so she could take their money, phones, watches, clothes, and sneakers.
The first fatal incident took place on April 30, 2023, when Bundrick approached two men on the street in Washington Heights “under the guise of selling them soap.”
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“She then offered to have sex in exchange for money and led them back to an empty apartment on West 159th Street that she broke into,” the release states.
Bundrick offered the men the fentanyl-laced drug, claiming it was cocaine, incapacitating both.
“The next morning, one of the men woke up to find his friend, 42-year-old Mario Paullan, dead beside him,” prosecutors said. “The victim had no recollection of what occurred and found many of their personal belongings were missing, including his cellphone. Bundrick allegedly used the stolen cellphone to make phone calls.”
Just under five months later, Bundrick allegedly went back to the apartment of 39-year-old Miguel Navez on West 158th Street in Washington Heights and provided him similar drugs. The victim’s brother found him dead several days later with many of his belongings gone.
The final fatal incident took place in Upper Manhattan on Feb. 25, 2024, prosecutors said. Bundrick allegedly talked her way into the apartment of Abrihan Fernandez on West 144th Street, where she provided him too with the fentanyl-laced drugs.
Afterward, surveillance footage allegedly showed Bundrick enter and exit the residence several times.
“She allegedly rigged the building’s door to get in and out more easily and took several large bags from the apartment, including Mr. Fernandez’s backpack,” the release said. “She got into a cab and took the items back to her apartment. Mr. Fernandez’s credit card was used multiple times over the next several days.”
When authorities executed a search warrant on Bundrick’s home on March 5, they allegedly recovered four pairs of the victims’ sneakers.
“Ms. Bundrick undoubtedly made a poor decision when she shared her drugs with men who were just ‘looking for a good time,'” her defense attorneys wrote in a statement to The Associated Press. “But she never intended to kill anyone.”
Bundrick is currently being held on Rikers Island without bond.
