Lee Rogers, an artist profiled in a 2007 documentary, was tragically found beaten to death at a gazebo in Central Park over the weekend.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The homeless artist, who captured dreamlike imagery in her paintings of birds and fauna in the famed NYC wooded area, was killed on Sept. 27, clubbed to death by a man after a heated exchange, according to The New York Post, citing police.
The 63-year-old beloved artist's body was discovered at a gazebo in Central Park near 74th Street and East Drive on Sunday. Before she was identified, birdwatchers and Central Park regulars feared Rogers may have been the victim.
36-year-old Jonathan Robles reportedly turned himself in to authorities in connection with the brutal crime late Sunday. The details of how the alleged confrontation between Robles and Rogers escalated to such a tragic outcome remain unclear.
Meanwhile, in the wake of her death, art lovers and Central Park regulars are mourning the loss of the artist, who was a fixture at the park.
"She was like the [1950s American folk painter] Grandma Moses of Central Park," nature walk guide Robert DeCandido told The Post. "When she did the bird feeders, the birders loved her. They would buy her artwork in the park."
Joe Lopez bought a painting from Rogers back in 2016 and got to know the artist over the years.
"She was fun to talk to, she knew wildlife, she knew animal behavior," Lopez told The Post. "It's not like she just sat there and painted. She really knew more than an artist would about these animals. And I found that intriguing."
A 2007 Documentary Chronicled the Beloved Central Park Artist's Troubled Life
Rogers, who reportedly previously went by the name Elise Bainbridge Hill, was profiled in the 2007 documentary Begging Naked. The film chronicles Rogers running away to NYC as a teen before reportedly falling into a life of substance abuse and prostitution.
The documentary also showed Rogers' struggles with her mental health. She fearing that her makeshift artist's studio, a converted air shaft near Carnegie Hall, was bugged.
"People got to like her a lot," DeCandido added. However, he did acknowledge that Rogers may have struggled with mental health issues.
The homeless woman murdered in Central Park was a beloved artist and birdwatcher who made beautiful pieces dedicated to birds. She went by Lee Rogers, but also was known as Elise Bainbridge Hill. Her art was awesome. I hope her life story is shared and not just the grisly details pic.twitter.com/sCgmBQer67
— em (@emilyagain)
