New York woman set alight in her lift

Police say the suspect knew the victim but have given no details of any motive

New York police are questioning a man after a woman was doused in fuel and set alight in the lift of her apartment block, causing her fatal injuries.

CCTV images captured a man entering the lift, wearing surgical gloves, a protective mask on the top of his head and spraying an accelerant over her.
Reports identified the woman as Doris Gillespie, 64, who was returning to her home in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
The Associated Press says a 47-year-old man has handed himself into the police.
He walked into a police station overnight, smelling of gasoline, and said he had started a fire, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

Evacuated

Mr Browne said the suspect had been waiting for Ms Gillespie as she arrived by lift on the fifth floor of her apartment block at around 16:00 local time.
"It was apparent he knew she was on the elevator," he said.
Video footage showed the man walk into a lift and spray her "sort of methodically" before pulling out a barbecue-style lighter, igniting a rag in a bottle, using the flames to set her alight and then throwing the bottle into the lift, Mr Browne said.
Ms Gillespie was carrying grocery bags at the time, and crouched down at the back of the elevator to try to shield herself.
Mr Browne said the suspect knew the victim but refused to give further details as to the motive of the killing.
Residents were evacuated and kept away from the six-storey building for several hours while police investigated, the AP reports.