Guilt leads to suicide

HE KILLED his cousin — and the guilt killed him.

A 30-year-old man murdered his cousin during a robbery in her East Harlem home, then took his own life, officials have determined following a three-month investigation.

Kevin Paez (near r.) overdosed on sleeping pills in Framingham, Mass., on Jan. 17 — the same day his cousin Reisa Paez (far r.), 43, was found dead in her First Ave. home, law enforcement sources said.

Cops were called to the woman’s fifth-floor apartment near E. 95th St. around 5 p.m. that day and found her body. She had been dead several days, police sources said.

“She was just an amazing person, very compassionate,” said a relative who asked not to be named. “Everyone loved her.”

Kevin Paez had been visiting Reisa in the days before her death, helping the beloved Realtor paint her apartment, the relative said.

“She was the only person that believed he deserved a second chance,” the relative said. “And it wound up being her downfall.”

Kevin Paez had a history of mental issues and had attempted suicide twice. “We just knew it was him,” a family member said.

It’s believed the man attacked his cousin over money, a police source said. He struck her in the head and choked her, then fled to Massachusetts, police sources said.

Her death was declared a homicide Wednesday, three months after her body was found.

“It’s been a really hard couple of months,” a relative said. “Our family is in shreds right now.”