Who Killed Ana Del Valle And Basil Gray? New Details About The Unsolved Murders Of Brooklyn Neighbors
The perpetrator used the same gun.
abc7 According to the FBI, nearly 40 percent of murders went unsolved in 2017, leaving families and friends of victims with unanswered questions and no closure. And there’s one case in Brooklyn that still hasn’t been solved one year later.
In 2018, right before Mother’s Day, Ana Del Valle, 62, was discovered in her Brooklyn apartment, with her hands bound behind her back and a gunshot to her head. A few days later, Basil Gray, 54, was discovered inside his home with multiple gunshot wounds. The two lived right next door to each other.
Who killed Ana Del Valle and Basil Gray? It’s a question investigators are trying to answer.
Detective Stephen Minucci, of the 90th Precinct, said police believe the same gun was used in both murders, and that the victims were killed on the Friday night before Mother’s Day. Investigators actually knocked on Gray’s door looking for information about Del Valle’s murder, but got no answer. Then, Sunday, Gray’s family members discovered his body and called police.
“Very serious crime, it’s a brutal murder; it’s two good people who did nothing to bring this to their doorstep. Their families are seeking closure and justice for this. We believe there are people who know what happened, and we think through whether people are scared or just think it’s not their problem because it didn’t happen to them. We’re saying this is your community... this is a chance for you to help,” he said during a press conference.
For Del Valle’s daughter, Mireya, it’s been a year full of heartache. She discovered her mother’s body after coming home from work and immediately called 911.
Mireya spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News, and revealed, “Seeing my mom like that was the most horrific thing. I had actually bought her some flowers because in two days it was going to be Mother's Day. When I first walked in and saw her laying on the floor, I thought she had slipped and fell. But when I got closer, she was tied up and had a bullet right in her forehead. What they did was just a savage act that not even an animal would do,” she said.
But Del Valle’s family is hoping to find some answers using social media. One alleged witness filmed what could be the perpetrators, pacing back and forth in the hallway the same day of the murders.
The video was shot through the peephole of someone’s front door. According to Detective Thomas Handley, “We’re not saying they’re suspects at this time. We believe they have information that could help us in this investigation. So we would like to find out who they are... It’s a heinous crime, and we’re going to catch up with them. It’s only a matter of time and, I think, with the community’s help, we will get there.”
Who would commit such heinous murders? For investigators and family, it’s unthinkable. Del Valle was a mother and grandmother, and a retired seamstress who would visit the senior center and cook for her family. She also cleaned the shared hallway in the complex for her neighbors. Del Valle and Gray were neighbors and were friendly, but police aren’t sure how or why Gray is involved.
Police believe it may have to do with drugs. Residents of the building say that drug deals often occur in the stairwell, and Del Valle may have seen something she wasn’t supposed to while cleaning the hallway. When detectives arrived at the crime scene, they found that a small amount of cash was missing.
If the drug scenario isn’t plausible, could it have been a robbery gone wrong? Gray was also in the midst of a settlement with a former employer — could this be a possible motive?
According to Handley, “We’re keeping an open mind to all the possibilities, and drugs could be one of them. But we're keeping an open mind. I think as we move forward, the picture will become clearer, and we’ll start developing suspects and hopefully a motive.”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.