Producer Gets Axe Murderer to Turn Himself In

WPIX Producer/Assignment Editor Ava Pittman is getting some props from the NYPD after she helped convince an axe murderer to turn himself in.

Pittman was working the story of the gruesome, horrific New York murders in a long time on Saturday. Savannah Rivera, 20, was partially decapitated and hacked to death with an axe early Saturday morning in the Bushwick Houses in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

When Pittman learned the name of the surviving female victim, she searched the woman's Facebook page for information about a possible boyfriend. Pittman found someone calling themselves "Grim Creepa" and messaged him to call her in the PIX11 newsroom – and he did.

“He was crying and you could hear him sniveling,” Pittman recalled. “He told me he was schizophrenic, bipolar and paranoid,” she added. "I didn’t talk to him as if I was talking to a murderer," Pittman said "I just wanted to know what went on inside the apartment?"

The suspect, now identified by police as 34-year-old Jerry Brown, told her he did not remember much about the attack. He told Pittman that he was injured and had staples in his head, and was off his medication.

“He asked me, 'What do you think I should do?' I said, 'You need to call police. You need to go down to the precinct,'" Pittman said.

After the 15 minute phone call, the man who identified himself as Jerry called Pittman back asking for the number of the 90th police precinct.

Within half an hour of that second phone call at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, police confirmed that Jerry Brown was in custody, and later Saturday night said he was charged with second degree murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Brown turned himself in.

H/T WPIX

---