Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ex-Teacher Killed In Shelter Lived "Productive Life" Before Suffering From Depression
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 30, 2016
Modified Jan 31, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 30, 2016
Modified Jan 31, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The 62-year-old ex-teacher who was fatally stabbed to death by his roommate in an East Harlem homeless shelter was a "model citizen" before he succumbed to depression, eventually losing his career, wife, and home.
Deven Black, 62, was killed Wednesday night after shelter roommate Anthony White allegedly stabbed him in the neck during an altercation over a stolen cell phone. White, who is mentally ill, is still at large, and details about both men's lives have been filtering in in the wake of the stabbing.
Black was a former middle school Social Studies teacher and librarian, and before his life unraveled, he lived in Nyack, NY with his wife and now-college aged son. He was involved in the community, serving as president of the Parent-Teachers Association at Upper Nyack Elementary School and reviewing restaurants for The Journal News. But in 2013, Black began struggling with depression—he started sending money to people he met online, lost his job after he allegedly told a 13-year-old she looked "sexy" and touched her inappropriately, and got divorced from wife Jill Rovitzky. In 2014, he began depositing fraudulent checks for a woman he met online, and pleaded guilty in federal court to bank fraud
"I am so deeply ashamed of what I have done," Black wrote in a letter to the judge in his case. "Not only have I committed bank fraud, I have thrown away 60 years of law abiding productive life (...) In many ways, I was a model citizen. I have tossed all of that away in a perfect storm of extreme loneliness, depression and greed."
Friends and family members suspected he suffered from more than depression, but he was not appropriately treated. "He was never properly diagnosed,” Emily Feiner, a clinical social worker and family friend, told the Times. "He was compulsive and had almost delusional thought patterns that influenced his choices." When he became homeless, he was unable to get prescription medication to help manage his mental health issues.
White, who is only 21, has similarly suffered from mental health problems, briefly spending time in a facility in 2013. He was never considered violent, though residents told reporters he'd been making death threats in the week leading up to Wednesday's attack. Mayor de Blasio says the city will increase security in 27 shelters and hire medical staffers who can help residents with mental illnesses.
“I send my condolences to the Black family, I really do,” LaSandra White, White’s sister, told the Times. “But this is a problem in the system. How did this happen? How did a weapon even get inside? This is supposed to be a mental health shelter. The system is failing our community. It’s failing people with mental illnesses.”
Tagged
anthony white
deven black
east harlem
homeless shelter
homelessness
mental illness
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani names re-entry specialist as chair of Rikers oversight board
Christopher Watler will help the department that a federal monitor says remains in crisis.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 6, 2026 at 3:52 p.m. ET
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Legionella found in Staten Island building's water system after 2 positive cases
By
Catalina Gonella
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
By
Jon Campbell
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .