Dec. 7, 2023 By Bill Parry
An East Elmhurst teenager was arrested Dec. 5 and charged with with murder for allegedly killing his landlord in a dispute over back rent, according to the NYPD.
Davi Vidal, 19, of 96th Street, was taken into custody and booked at the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights for allegedly killing 55-year-old Zoraida Leo, the woman who owns the home, after an argument over back rent escalated into violence, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Police from the 115th Precinct responded to a 911 call just after 5 p.m. on Dec. 5 and, upon their arrival, officers found Zoraida unconscious with scratches on her face inside an apartment at the location, police said. Investigators determined that during the struggle, Vidal placed both hands around the victim’s neck and strangled her to death, according to the criminal complaint. EMS responded to the location and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Davi was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti who ordered him to return to court on Dec. 11.