Repeat Offenders a Continued Problem
Connie Patrono
By Dan Murphy
By Dan Murphy
Residents of Yonkers and Bronxville have been wondering for five months who it was that killed Connie Petrono.
Constance “Connie” Patrono, a 79-year-old psychologist known for her expertise on depression and mental health disorders, was brutally murdered in her garden apartment in the Bronxville Ridge complex in Yonkers, New York. Patrono, who had been a prominent voice in psychological discussions three decades earlier, lived a modest life despite owning a valuable but dilapidated property in nearby Bronxville. Described by acquaintances as intelligent, engaging, eccentric, and notably trusting, she was remembered as “a great person that didn’t bother anybody,” according to Gregorio Inestroza, the building superintendent.
On May 16, 2025, Inestroza discovered her body after concerned friends and acquaintances reported she hadn’t been seen for several days. Entering her apartment for a welfare check, he found Patrono lying on the floor, having suffered multiple fatal blows from a blunt object and stab wounds, as determined by the medical examiner. The violent nature of the attack shocked the community, with neighbors leaving
flowers outside her door amid ongoing crime scene tape.
The Yonkers Police Department launched an immediate investigation, but as of late May 2025, no arrests had been made, and no specific suspects or motives were publicly identified. Authorities described the case as active and pledged to pursue justice diligently, though details remained limited to protect the probe. The tragedy highlighted vulnerabilities in everyday trust, leaving Patrono’s loved ones and the local community grappling with the loss of a woman whose professional insights had once helped countless others navigate their own darkness. The investigation continues without further public updates as of October 2025.
We have received emails from residents in Yonkers, Eastchester, and all over Westchester, who knew Patrono professionally. Her office was in Eastchester, but no information has been forthcoming, and we were unable to find her obituary.
Westchester Medical Examiner Dr. Aleksander Milovanovic, Westchester’s chief medical examiner, who determined that Patrono died as a result of blunt force to her head and all over her body.
But now law enforcement sources, and a recent story in the Journal News, point to a likely suspect. His name is David Britt.
Britt lives in New Jersey. He is a career criminal and has been arrested several times for burglary. He is a contractor, and law enforcement believes that he was working on Patrono’s co-op on the day of her death.
Shortly after Patrono’s death, Britt was arrested in New Jersey for a home invasion and has been in custody ever since. Now, according to LoHud.com, a warrant for his arrest in the death of Petrono has been issued.
Westchester law enforcement and DA Cacace’s office have not commented on the case or Britt. An announcement may be forthcoming soon.
Britt was arrested several times in New Jersey and served five-year jail sentences on two occasions for burglary. His recent arrest is his third burglary conviction.
We want to inform our readers about the latest update regarding this case. Among the emails we received were those from senior citizens who live near the building where Patrono was killed.
Patróno, who had been a prominent voice in psychological discussions three decades earlier, had lived alone since her husband died in 2015.
If Britt is arrested and charged in Patrono’s death, it will be another example of a repeat offender committing another serious crime, this one a homicide.
It is also interesting to note that more than 4 months after her death, there has been no memorial service or public remembrance for Connie Patrono, despite her connections to Yonkers, Bronxville, Eastchester, and Carmel.
