WHITE PLAINS, NY (February 23, 2026) — Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday in the case of a New Rochelle woman accused of torturing and killing an intimate partner, in what prosecutors say is a historic first for Westchester County.
Defendant Kenya Tilford is accused of torturing 27-year-old Concetta Morton, an intimate partner, over the course of months and then killing her. She is also accused of assaulting and sexually abusing a second intimate partner; kidnapping and sexually abusing a third intimate partner; intimidating or menacing two witnesses in the case; and tampering with evidence.
Case Details
Prosecutors allege that Tilford tortured her 27-year-old intimate partner, Concetta Morton, for approximately three months before killing her by asphyxiation in September 2023 and then concealing her body in a storage bin inside a third-floor apartment on Franklin Avenue in New Rochelle. Authorities say Tilford purchased bleach, tarps, rubber gloves, a hooded coverall, a chainsaw and the bin in which Morton’s body was later found.
Tilford was arrested on Sept. 15, 2023, at a hotel in Elmsford after police received a tip about the location of Morton’s body.
In July 2024, a Westchester County grand jury returned an 18-count indictment charging Tilford with murder, torture, strangulation, concealment of a human corpse, tampering with evidence and numerous other felonies and misdemeanors related to Morton’s death and allegations involving other victims. During a police interview after her arrest, Tilford denied killing Morton, saying she had been in Virginia, and acknowledged mental health issues and cocaine use.
The Trial
The case, People v. Kenya Tilford, will be heard in Courtroom 301 before Judge Fufidio at the Westchester County Courthouse, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601.
District Attorney Susan Cacace, Homicide Bureau Chief Lana Hochheiser and Senior Assistant District Attorney Courtney Johnson are scheduled to appear.
According to the media advisory, this is the first time in Westchester history that the District Attorney is prosecuting a torture killing under the provisions of the Murder in the First Degree statute.
Opening statements are set for 9:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.
RELATED
Woman Charged in 18-Count Indictment for Torture Killing of Her Intimate Partner (7/18/2024)
New Rochelle Woman Charged with Murder, Concealment of a Human Corpse (9/18/2023
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.