Murder in the Big Apple on ID: Was Dr Kathy Hinnant pregnant at the time of her murder?

Dr Kathy Hinnant, a Bellegue Hospital pathologist, was beaten, r*ped, and robbed before being strangled to death in her office while working on a weekend in January 1989. She was five months pregnant at the time, and her body was discovered the following morning by her husband and a hospital administrator.

Soon, a homeless man, Steven Smith, who was squatting at the historic hospital posing as a doctor for some time, was arrested from a men's shelter after a few other men from the same shelter handed authorities the victim's stolen ID and credit cards. Smith had psychiatric problems and was an addict. That same year, he was convicted and sentenced to a maximum of 50 years to life in prison.

Dr Kathy Hinnant was five months pregnant when she was r*ped and strangled to death at NYC's historic Bellevue Hospital (Image via Find a Grave)

Murder in the Big Apple on ID is slated to chronicle Dr Kathy Hinnant 1989 murder this Thursday in an episode titled Hospital Horror. The upcoming episode airs on the channel at 10 pm ET on June 8, 2023.

Here's a look at the official synopsis of the episode:

"Talented medical researcher Dr Kathy Hinnant moves from South Carolina to New York City for a dream job opportunity; although New York is rife with crime, Kathy's not scared until one tragic day at work when she faces her worst nightmare."

---

Bellevue Hospital pathologist Dr Kathy Hinnant was beaten to death in her office before being robbed

Dr Kathy Hinnant was preparing for a lecture in her secluded fourth floor office on a weekend when she was attacked and murdered (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime, Find a Grave)

Dr Kathy Hinnant worked as a pathologist at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital and as a researcher in cytopathology at the New York University Medical School. On January 7, 1989, she was preparing a presentation for a lecture in her fourth-floor secluded office when she was attacked by a man dressed in a surgical gown, who then strangled her to death.

Hinnat, 33, was five months pregnant at the time and was reportedly scheduled to meet her husband, Eric Johnson, for dinner that night. When she failed to meet him, he arrived at her office the following morning, and accompanied by a hospital administrator, he found her body inside the office sometime around 6:30 am.

At the crime scene, police found that Hinnat's panties, her mink coat (which had her initials monogrammed on the inside), and $75 from her wallet were missing. They initially believed that she was beaten to death due to bruises on her face, a broken nose, and significant amounts of blood, which led them to believe so.

A subsequent autopsy ruled the cause of death to be "asphyxia by strangulation." The same autopsy confirmed that she was also r*ped in addition to the visible signs with her dress being pulled up to her bosom. Reports further stated that she was strangled with an appliance cord.

---

A homeless man, posing as a doctor and squatting at the hospital, was arrested in Dr Kathy Hinnant's murder

Steven Smith, a homesless man and former mental patient, squatting at thehospital, was behind Dr Kathy Hinnant's murder (Image via Bonnie's Blog of Crime, Find a Grave)

Not long after Dr Kathy Hinnant's body was discovered, 23-year-old Steven Smith was arrested from a men's shelter. He secretly lived on Bellevue Hospital's 22nd floor, which was under maintenance at the time. There, police found dirty bedding, a stethoscope, blood-covered gloves, and empty beer cans.

Smith was arrested after three men from the same homeless shelter gave authorities Hinnant's identification card and other credit cards. Moreover, the men claimed the suspect gave them other items, which were reportedly stolen from the murdered doctor, to sell. The victim's stolen mink coat with her initials on the inside was recovered from a man at the shelter.

Authorities believed Smith wore a scrub suit and a lab coat, carrying a stethoscope around when he attacked the pregnant doctor in her office and then r*ped and strangled her. He had a history of psychiatric problems and was a cocaine addict. Moreover, the 23-year-old was admitted to the hospital on two occasions before he started posing as a doctor. Other inciminating items, including a shawl belonging to the victim, and blood-stained clothing, among other things, from a garbage can near the shelter.

Steven Smith was eventually charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree r*pe in Dr Kathy Hinnant's strangulation death. In November of that same year, he was found guilty on all changes and handed a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in prison.

---

ID's Murder in the Big Apple will further delve into Dr Kathy Hinnant's dacdes-old slaying this Thursday.