Man accused of killing 101-year-old Rochester woman

Show Caption Hide Caption Good Samaritan helps detain murder suspect in Rochester homicide Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said that a man was charged with murder after a member of the community helped detain him.

Rochester police have arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of an elderly woman in an apartment complex near CityGate.

Greg Jesmer, 54, was charged with second-degree murder Tuesday evening, Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli announced at a press conference.

Police say Jesmer is accused of killing 101-year-old Marcia Morrison, who was found at 58 Green Knolls Drive, across the street from CityGate, on Tuesday morning. Jesmer and Morrison both lived at the Rochester Highland Apartments near East Henrietta and Westfall roads.

Jesmer was detained after a separate incident that occurred near Westfall Road, according to police. Ciminelli said Jesmer approached a 13-year-old girl and offered her money to come back to his home before a member of the community intervened to protect the girl and contacted 911.

"This allowed responding officers to quickly detain this man. This (concerned citizen) did both: She stepped in and intervened in a situation and immediately called 911, which got the police there very quickly," Ciminelli said. "At the point he was detained for the incident with the 13-year-old it was unconnected, initially.

"But really, through some very good police work by the Major Crimes Unit, the Genesee Section officers, the technicians and the assistance of the District Attorney's Office, the two crimes were fairly quickly connected."

Rochester police Investigator Jackie Shuman said earlier that officers were called to check on Morrison's welfare after a senior transportation company came to her home to pick her up, as it did each week, and she did not answer.

Rochester police and firefighters entered Morrison's apartment and found her deceased inside the residence, Shuman said.

"I think it impacted everyone that's involved in this case," Ciminelli said. "Certainly, it's unusual for someone to live that long, and this was just a true tragedy.

"What I take away and I think members of the community should take away, that a member of our community intervened to protect this little girl. This woman's intervention directly led to the apprehension of the subject. I think we can take some solace in that, but there's no doubt that this is really an outrageous crime."

Authorities have not confirmed Morrison's cause of death, but said she will undergo an autopsy at the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office.

"This investigation probably will continue for days, if not weeks," Ciminelli said. "There is a lot of evidence. There's a lot of crime scene work still in progress, more people to interview.

"So this investigation is far from over."

Morrison's death marks Rochester's 16th homicide of the year.

"This is a very graphic illustration of that, that happens everyday in this city, but I think it's a good lesson that the way things get better is when we have a partnership, when we work together — the police department, the city and the members of our community."

Jesmer will be arraigned in Rochester City Court on Wednesday morning.

VFREILE@Gannett.com

JAMESJ@Gannett.com