Police: Suspect Admits Robbing, Killing Student

Sept. 2, 2008— -- A 22-year-old has confessed to robbing and killing a New York City college student who was found dead in his apartment with an electric cord wrapped around his neck and a bag in his mouth, police said.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was in police custody this afternoon and was expected to be charged with murder by the end of the day, New York Police Department Assistant Chief Michael Collins said.

The suspect confessed to the killing after he was arrested on an unrelated charge, Collins said. The suspect said he met Kevin Pravia, a 19-year-old student at Pace University, in Union Square at 6 a.m. Sunday.

The suspect said that Pravia asked him for drugs and that the two then went back to Pravia's apartment, Collins said. It was still unclear whether any drugs were sold or taken that day.

After Pravia fell asleep, the suspect said he tied an electrical cord around his neck, put a bag in his mouth and smothered him with a pillow, police said.

The suspect then took Pravia's laptop, iPod and cell phone, police said. Collins said police had recovered the cell phone.

Police said Pravia's body was discovered by his roommate at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

The cause of death was still undetermined as of this afternoon, according to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.

Pravia, who was from the Pittsfield, Mass., area, was scheduled to begin his sophomore year at Pace on Wednesday.

"The Pace community continues to mourn the loss of Kevin Pravia, who died this past weekend at his off-campus apartment," the university said in a statement. "Our sympathy and thoughts remain with Kevin's family, friends and classmates."

On a Facebook tribute page, one person called Pravia "an extremely confident and genuinely happy person."