SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — 23-year-old Victoria Afet has been formally charged with the murder of 93-year-old Connie Tuori, whose body was found in her apartment unit in Skyline Apartments on James Street in Syracuse.
Thursday morning, in a routine and uneventful procedural step, an Onondaga County Grand Jury foreman informed an Onondaga County Court Judge of the indictment.
Afet is indicted on three counts of murder in the first degree, among charges of murder in the second degree, burglary, concealment of a corpse, and criminal possession of a weapon.
The indictment document, obtained by NewsChannel 9, unveils new details about the manner of Tuori’s death, described as “especially cruel and wanton.”
Afet is accused of “inflicting torture” on Tuori by stuffing items in her mouth and down to her throat to suffocate her, the ultimate cause of death. At the same time, Afet is accused of stabbing Tuori.
The documents reaffirm that Afet was allegedly burglarizing Tuori’s apartment unit on the 12th floor. The suspect then stayed in Tuori’s apartment with the body apparently hidden in a bedroom until police were called to check on the 93-year-old three weeks later.
Police initially said Afet stole Tuori’s key fob for access to the building.
New charges filed against Afet in the indictment will result in a new arraignment, so the suspect will be scheduled to return to court in the near future.
Afet has a criminal history long before accusations of murder, including beating another elderly woman at the Skyline building.
The murder has triggered outrage over the conditions at Skyline Apartments, including the City of Syracuse declaring the building a public nuisance. The owners, football star Tim Green, and his family, have claimed to be improving security and cleanliness at the building.
