Reginald Newkirk, a 51-year-old ex-convict with a lengthy criminal history, has been charged with concealment of a human corpse after the lifeless body of an unidentified woman, believed to be in her 20s, was discovered in the hallway of a Brooklyn apartment building. The incident took place on Rockaway Parkway near Rutland Road in East Flatbush.
The investigation began when firefighters responded to a gas odor call in the building around 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Upon reaching the second-floor landing, they found the body of the woman lying face-up on the floor. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) pronounced her dead at the scene.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Newkirk dragging the woman’s body out of an apartment and abandoning it near the stairs. The exact nature of the relationship between Newkirk and the deceased woman remains unknown at this time.
Authorities have revealed that the woman displayed no visible signs of trauma, and as of Wednesday, no criminality was suspected in her death. However, the investigation is ongoing.
Newkirk’s criminal record reveals a history of 25 prior arrests, primarily related to drug offenses. Additionally, he has faced charges of criminal mischief, petit larceny, and robbery. State corrections records indicate that he served over a year in prison for a second-degree assault conviction in 2015. He also spent approximately eight months incarcerated for a weapons possession conviction in 2021, with his parole subsequently expiring about a year ago.
