The Aporia · Stick-wielding lunatic admits to bashing beloved Central Park artist over 20 times so she ‘couldn’t hit me anymore’: prosecutors

Stick-wielding lunatic admits to bashing beloved Central Park artist over 20 times so she ‘couldn’t hit me anymore’: prosecutors

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Schnitzer, K. (2026, October 1). Stick-wielding lunatic admits to bashing beloved Central Park artist over 20 times so she ‘couldn’t hit me anymore’: prosecutors. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/01/us-news/stick-wielding-lunatic-admits-to-bashing-beloved-central-park-artist-more-than-20-times-so-she-couldnt-hit-me-anymore-prosecutors/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Jonathan Robles, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly beating Lee Rogers, a 63-year-old homeless artist known as Francis Lee Rogers in Central Park, over 20 times with a stick until she could no longer fight back. Rogers was found dead near the park’s boathouse after sustaining fatal blunt force trauma to her head. Robles claimed he acted in self-defense, but prosecutors argue otherwise, seeking a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. The article highlights Rogers' background as an artist featured in the 2007 documentary "Begging Naked," known for her wildlife paintings and interactions with park visitors.

Written by AI on 2026-10-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 27, 2026, Lee Rogers, a 63-year-old homeless artist known for her intricate wildlife watercolors and referred to as Francis Lee Rogers or Elise Bainbridge Hill, was found dead in Central Park near East Drive and East 74th Street. She died from blunt force trauma after being beaten over 20 times with a stick by Jonathan Robles, 36, who turned himself into authorities later that day. Rogers had been living rough in the park for years and was beloved by birdwatchers who often bought her artwork there. Police found her body covered in dirt and barefoot within a gazebo near the boathouse; the stick used to bludgeon her was also discovered nearby, broken and blood-stained. The incident marks Central Park's first murder in five years and shocked the tight-knit community of regular parkgoers and homeless residents who knew Rogers well.

Written for “Central Park Murder Case” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

11%

2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Kyle Schnitzer

13 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 “The argument that (his) defense attorney would make is, what fact has changed,” long-time defense attorney Wayne Gosnell told The Post.

2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Will ex-NYPD cop Victor Romero’s bail be revoked? Experts weigh in on alleged road-rage murderer’s $1M bond

🔮 One of the demented Alexander brothers claimed in Manhattan court Tuesday that he and his convicted siblings “never” drugged or raped anyone — blaming any crude behavior he may have exhibited on growing up in a “hook-up culture’’ and listening to Howard Stern.

2026-10-27 · mixed framing · Disgraced Alexander brother blames Howard Stern, ‘hook-up culture’ as he denies serial rapes at sentencing

🔮 Ex-New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich was a “compromised politician” so desperate for cash that he accepted bribes — including $10,000 Mets season tickets — so his inner circle could be closer to former Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan prosecutors said Monday at the start of his trial.

2026-10-19 · mixed framing · NYC prosecutors slam ex-DOB commish Eric Ulrich as a ‘compromised politician’ who’d do anything for cash as trial kicks off

🔮 On August 25, the creep told the victim to lie on her back on the examination table so he could “relieve physical stress” after she complained of a migraine and dizziness, according to the indictment against Lamki.

2026-10-14 · mixed framing · NYC neurologist sexually abused patients under guise of massages: DA

🔮 But a married Farwell — who allegedly began sexually abusing Birchmore when she was just 15 — made “a complete 180” in the days leading up to Birchmore’s Feb. 1, 2021, murder, no longer acting angry toward her, the prosecutor claimed. “He lulled her into feeling safe so that he could kill her,” Cummings said.

2026-10-09 · mixed framing · Cop ‘lulled’ Sandra Birchmore into false sense of safety before allegedly killing her, prosecutor claims as final texts revealed

🔮 Families of the three men murdered by New York City’s notorious hooker from hell slammed her as a heartless brute Tuesday — after the diabolical fiend was slapped with a sentence that will land her behind bars for decades.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · NYC hooker from hell slammed for ripping families apart to fuel her drug addiction: ‘Took part of my heart’

🔮 “God willing, when you are released, you will be able to make a positive impact on the community,” the cop added.

2026-10-05 · assertive framing · NYPD cop struck by bullet rips gangbanger shooter for his ‘false sense of entitlement’ at sentencing

🔮 They then allegedly had oral sex and LoGuidice ordered the patient to “not tell anyone” because he would get in trouble, according to Khoury-Yacoub.

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🔮 I did it until she couldn’t hit me anymore.”

2026-10-01 · assertive framing · Stick-wielding lunatic admits to bashing beloved Central Park artist over 20 times so she ‘couldn’t hit me anymore’: prosecutors

🔮 “All that remains for us are the memories of the beauty of his life and the hope that the love he gave will not be lost,” Renato Giri, Davide’s father, said through an interpreter in Manhattan Supreme Court.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · Columbia University student fatally stabbed in Central Park remembered as ‘brilliant mind’ – as killer learns his fate

Also by Kyle Schnitzer

Will ex-NYPD cop Victor Romero’s bail be revoked? Experts weigh in on alleged road-rage murderer’s $1M bond

2026-11-02 · New York Post

Disgraced Alexander brother blames Howard Stern, ‘hook-up culture’ as he denies serial rapes at sentencing

2026-10-27 · New York Post

NYC prosecutors slam ex-DOB commish Eric Ulrich as a ‘compromised politician’ who’d do anything for cash as trial kicks off

2026-10-19 · New York Post

NYC neurologist sexually abused patients under guise of massages: DA

2026-10-14 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 13 articles by Kyle Schnitzer →

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

Jonathan Robles, 36, allegedly told cops he was acting in self-defense, claiming Lee Rogers, 63, had hit him first with a stick — before he snatched it and beat her to a pulp. uncertain

he → tell → pulp

“She hit me on my body with a stick, so I took the stick from her,” Robles told police, according to the criminal complaint. uncertain

Robles → hit → complaint

“I hit her with it more than 20 times. asserted

I → hit → it

I did it until she couldn’t hit me anymore.” asserted

she → do → me

Her body was found Monday morning in a gazebo near the park’s boathouse near 74th Street and East Drive. asserted

body → find → Street

The two got into a dispute that escalated into violence, sources told The Post. asserted

sources → get → Post

Prosecutors said Rogers, who was homeless, died from blunt force trauma to her head — and the stick was found broken into pieces and covered in blood near her body. asserted

stick → say → body

Rogers, who referred to herself as Francis Lee Rogers, was also known as Elise Bainbridge Hill — the subject of the acclaimed 2007 documentary “Begging Naked,” which documented her life and tragic path to homelessness. asserted

which → refer → homelessness

The flick details how the artist ran away from home as a teen to the Big Apple, where she fell into prostitution and drug addiction. asserted

she → detail → prostitution

Friends remembered Rogers as a talented bird-loving painter who fell on hard times recently. asserted

who → remember → times

“She was like the Grandma Moses of Central Park,” Nature walk guide Robert DeCandido said, comparing Rogers to the famed 1950s American folk painter. asserted

DeCandido → say → painter

DeCandido, who goes by “Birding Bob,” also said Rogers often refilled the bird feeders which got her an in with Central Park birders, who then snatched up her artwork. asserted

who → go → artwork

“She was fun to talk to, she knew wildlife, she knew animal behavior,” Joe Lopez, one of Rogers’ friends, remembered. asserted

Lopez → talk → friends

“It’s not like she just sat there and painted, she really knew more than an artist would about these animals. asserted

artist → ’ → animals

And I found that intriguing.” asserted

that → find → ?

Prosecutors charged Robles with murder in the second degree, which carries a maximum prison sentence of life behind bars if convicted. asserted

which → charge → bars

He was ordered remanded by Judge Sheridan Jack-Browne and scheduled to undergo a psych evaluation to determine if he’s fit to stand trial. asserted

he → order → trial

“It’s clear to anyone that he has a serious mental health issue and that will be addressed through the court case,” Robles’ attorney, Mitchell Schuman, told The Post after the hearing. asserted

attorney → ’ → hearing

Robles is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 13. asserted

Robles → schedule → Oct.

Stick-wielding lunatic admits to bashing beloved Central Park artist over 20 times so she ‘couldn’t hit me anymore’: prosecutors

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Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)