In a tragic turn of events in Queens, a landlord lost her life in a dispute with her teen tenant over unpaid rent. The incident unfolded on Tuesday around 5:15 p.m. inside a building on 96th Street near Northern Boulevard in East Elmhurst. The tenant, identified as 19-year-old Davi Vidal, reportedly engaged in a fatal altercation with the landlord, 55-year-old Leo Zoraida, who had confronted him about overdue rent payments.
The dispute escalated, resulting in a physical confrontation between Vidal and Zoraida. Authorities indicate that Vidal had not been meeting his rental obligations, leading to the deadly clash. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Zoraida unconscious and unresponsive with facial scratches inside an apartment. Despite the efforts of emergency responders, she was pronounced dead, and the case was subsequently classified as a homicide.
Davi Vidal was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with murder in connection to the death of his landlord. The specifics of how the assault transpired have not been disclosed by the NYPD as of Thursday. The investigation is ongoing, and Vidal’s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court is pending. The tragic incident sheds light on the challenges faced by landlords in dealing with rent-related disputes, emphasizing the need for peaceful resolutions and legal avenues to address such issues.