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Solved case · 1989
Also known as Kathryn Hinnant's death · Kathryn Hinnant death
The short answer
Kathryn Hinnant, a pathologist five months pregnant, was raped and strangled in her Bellevue Hospital office in January 1989 by a homeless man who had been squatting in the hospital; he was later convicted of first-degree murder.
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Suggest coverage for Death of Kathryn HinnantThe case file
Kathryn Hinnant worked at the New York University Medical School as a researcher in cytopathology and had an office on the fourth floor of the pathology wing at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Steven Smith, a homeless man with a documented history of psychiatric problems and cocaine addiction, had twice been admitted to Bellevue in late 1988 after ingesting rat poison but was released both times. He subsequently began squatting inside the hospital, reportedly dressing as a doctor to avoid detection.
On January 7, 1989, Hinnant was in her office at Bellevue preparing a lecture. Smith entered her office, beat her, raped her, and strangled her with a cord. Her body was discovered at 6 a.m. the following morning by her husband and a hospital staff member. Hinnant was five months pregnant at the time of her death.
The killing drew significant public attention. Mayor Edward Koch reportedly called the case "the number one to be solved," and around 50 detectives were assigned to the investigation. Media coverage at the time referred to the unidentified assailant as the "Beast of Bellevue." Several days after the killing, Smith was located and arrested; he was found in possession of Hinnant's credit cards.
Smith was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and presented an insanity defense. The jury rejected the defense and found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Smith reportedly stated he would have preferred to receive the death penalty.
The case was cited as one of several security breaches at Bellevue Hospital over the decades. Hinnant's family subsequently sued Bellevue for wrongful death, alleging that the hospital's inadequate security contributed to her death. The family declined a proposed settlement, but the lawsuit was ultimately decided against them.
4 dated entries · 1988–1989
Steven Smith was admitted to Bellevue Hospital twice after ingesting rat poison and was released both times; he began squatting in the hospital afterward.
Kathryn Hinnant was beaten, raped, and strangled in her office at Bellevue Hospital while preparing a lecture.
Hinnant's body was found at approximately 6 a.m. by her husband and a hospital staff member.
Contemporaneous news coverage reported on the sentencing of Hinnant's killer.
2 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Pathologist and cytopathology researcher at NYU Medical School, raped and strangled at Bellevue Hospital while five months pregnant.[2]
Convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Kathryn Hinnant; sentenced to life in prison after an insanity defense was rejected.[2]
From the record
2 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressThe New York TimesAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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