Who is Alex Ray Scott? Oklahoma man, 24, accused of killing 64-year-old NYC antique dealer
An Oklahoma man who has been accused of killing an antique dealer in January 2020, returned to court on July 8. Alex Ray Scott, 24, is currently being tried in the Manhattan Supreme Court, where he has been charged with murder, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property.
The brutal killing of 64-year-old Kenneth Savinski was part of a surge in crime reported in New York City. As the nation reopens and Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, crime rates have continued to climb all over the US. In March, Uber Eats driver Mohammed Anwar was killed after two minors attempted to carjack his vehicle, before crashing it. Then in June, a California mother was held for the murder of her three children. In late June, a jealous husband was caught on video beating his wife to death with a crowbar at an NYC bus stop.
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In 2021, gun violence has already hit a 20-year high in NYC, prompting city officials to declare a gun crime emergency. However, despite efforts, violence continues to rock the streets of the city on a nearly daily basis. Back in January 2020, the neighborhood near Park Avenue, on the upper East side was left shocked after the brutal murder of Savinski was reported. But how did Scott, an Oklahoma native get involved in the case? Here's the ghastly story of murder most foul, as Bob Dylan put it.
Who is Alex Ray Scott?
Little is known about Scott, beyond his past criminal record in Oklahoma. Reportedly, he worked for a property management firm in Tulsa. In September 2018, Scott was accused of forcing a co-worker's five-year-old son to engage in oral sex. Before he could be interviewed by cops, however, Scott quit his job, rented a car, and fled the state. In October, cops in Long Island picked up Scott, who was reportedly there "to kill himself". He was initially taken to a psychiatric ward, before being extradited back to Tulsa.
In July 2019, a judge agreed to half his bond to $100,000 if he agreed to wear an ankle monitor, and SCRAM bracelet (to monitor alcohol consumption). According to Scott, he fled to Long Island "to get away" from the Tulsa case, but agreed to the conditions. Sometime later, he asked to move to Sallisaw. "Our understanding was he was going off Tulsa County ankle monitoring and on to ankle monitoring through the bondsman down in Sallisaw," Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler told 2 News Oklahoma.
It appears Scott used the request as a pretext to disappear again, having missed several check-in appointments, and having his GPS monitor removed, but never refitted. That led a Tulsa judge to issue a bench warrant. A week after the warrant was issued, he turned himself in for the murder of Savinski. He appeared to have been living as a drifter, in various hotels and apartments during his time in New York City, before he killed Savinski.
Brutal murder of Savinski
On January 27, 2020, Savinski was found by a friend dead in his apartment on 83rd Street near Park Avenue. He was found with a deep gash in his head and neck wounds. Closer examination revealed that it was not an accident, Savinski was murdered. Two days later, Scott walked into a Manhattan police station covered in blood, saying, "I think I may have killed someone last night."
He confessed some gristly details to cops, including that he had met Savinski on a dating app a day prior. The older man then brought Scott home for a "romantic liaison", which ended in his death. CCTV footage also caught Scott walking out of the building, wearing Savinski's jacket "and counting money in his wounded hands". He had also taken five credit cards and Savinski's driver's license. He used one of the cards to pay for a room in New Jersey, shortly before confessing to cops.
Once Scott is prosecuted in New York, he will then be extradited to Tusla to face the lewd molestation charges. The trial, which was initially set for June 2020 has been pushed back. A new date has not yet been announced, since the case in New York is still ongoing. Scott's lawyer Jessica Horani argued that he had no recollection of the murder of Savinski, because "he may have been deliberately drugged", the Daily Mail reported.
It is unclear how Scott has pleaded in the murder of Savinksi, and what transpired in the July 8 court hearing. Horani has not responded to requests for comment.