"QUEENS, NY - A 21-year-old East Elmhurst man has been sentenced to 22½ years in prison for killing his landlady during a rent dispute in 2023, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday. The defendant, identified as - also known as Deiby Vidal - pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter in the death of 55-year-old Zoraida Leo. Prosecutors said Vidal lived in the attic apartment of Leo's multi-unit home for two years before the confrontation turned deadly."
"According to the investigation, on the evening of December 4, 2023, Leo called Vidal downstairs to discuss unpaid rent. The argument escalated into a violent struggle, during which Vidal strangled Leo using his hands and the cord from an iron. When Leo failed to appear for work or answer calls the following day, her son went to her East Elmhurst residence, where he found her dead near the bathroom doorway. Responding officers found Vidal at the scene with visible scratch marks on his face. A medical examiner later confirmed strangulation as the cause of death."
A 21-year-old East Elmhurst resident, also known as Deiby Vidal, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of 55-year-old landlady Zoraida Leo. Vidal had lived in the attic apartment of Leo's multi-unit home for two years. On December 4, 2023, Leo called Vidal to discuss unpaid rent; the argument escalated and Vidal strangled Leo with his hands and an iron cord. Leo's son discovered her dead near a bathroom doorway the next day after she missed work. Responding officers found Vidal with visible facial scratches and a medical examiner confirmed strangulation. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant sentenced Vidal to 22½ years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Read at Shore News Network
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