New York
They killed the painter of the Ramble.
Francis Lee Rogers, 63, lived in Central Park and painted its birds. She was found dead Sunday in the gazebo where she slept. Jonathan Robles, 36, is charged with murder.
The Rocket News · Washington Bureau · New YorkSeptember 30, 2026 · 4 min read
NEW YORK — Francis Lee Rogers was a fixture of the Ramble, the wooded middle of Central Park. She painted the birds, kept the feeders filled, and slept in a rustic gazebo a short walk from the Boathouse. She was 63, and she had lived that way for decades. On Sunday morning she was found dead there, beaten and stabbed.
The Times reported that Jonathan Robles, 36, later told investigators he killed her. Police charged him with murder and weapon possession. He had been living in transitional housing in a Midtown hotel. He had two earlier arrests in the city, both nonviolent, including walking out of an IHOP without paying. The motive was not clear. A police source told CBS there had been an argument.
She was found dead, beaten and stabbed, in the gazebo where she slept.
The States desk files New York because the Wednesday front of the Times put her there. The park is the story. The rest of the country is not.
Wire and further reading: nytimes.com
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