Tragic End to ‘Home Alone 2’ Bird Lady’s Story: Deadly Central Park Encounter Sparks Controversy and Shocking Claims

Robles claimed he was defending himself, saying that Rogers attacked him first.

“She hit me on my body with a stick, so I took the stick from her. I hit her with it more than 20 times. I did it until she couldn’t hit me anymore,” Robles told detectives.

He is charged with murder and faces a weapon-possession charge, is being held without bail, and a judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation.

Robles appeared in a hearing via a hospital because of a hand injury, and he is represented by attorney Mitchell Schuman. Prosecutors said the two had previously been involved in hostile encounters. Schuman said that his client suffers from mental illness.

“The court ordered a psychiatric evaluation to see whether Mr. Robles is mentally fit to proceed with this case. It is very clear that he suffers from a serious mental illness and once the evaluations are completed, that issue will be dealt with in court,” Schuman noted.

Prosecutors said a grand jury had indicted Robles, scheduled to return to court October 13.

Amongst the New York City birdwatchers community, she was a respectable figure, somewhat between a living tourist attraction and friendly neighbor for park regulars.

She painted intricate watercolors of Central Park wildlife while sleeping rough. Rogers was homeless, with her life being documented in a 2007 film, Begging N-ked.

“For years, she was the only person maintaining those bird feeders in the Ramble,” wildlife photographer Lincoln Karim, who knew Rogers for roughly 25 years, once said. “She would spend hundreds of dollars on birdseed and suet.”

Rogers sold hundreds of paintings over roughly three decades, largely through word of mouth among birdwatchers. She regularly painted at the Boathouse cafe near windows overlooking the Ramble.

Her smaller works sold for about $300, and one large oil painting brought $1,200.