A Queens resident has received a 22-year prison sentence for the fatal strangulation of his landlord during a dispute over unpaid rent, according to an announcement by the Queens district attorney. The incident, which occurred in 2023, ended in tragedy.
Davi Vidal, aged 21, faced sentencing from Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant on Friday. The court found him responsible for the death of his 55-year-old landlord, Zoraida Leo, whose body was discovered in her East Elmhurst building on December 5, 2023. Vidal’s sentence also includes five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant viciously attacked Zoraida Leo during a rent disagreement and left her to die in her own home,” stated Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “No family should suffer such a heartless loss. While we cannot reverse this horrific act, today’s sentence ensures justice for Ms. Leo’s family.”
Prosecutors detailed that on the evening of December 4, an argument over unpaid rent escalated between Leo and Vidal, leading him to strangle her with his hands and a cord from an iron.
The following day, Leo’s son made the grim discovery of her body near the bathroom entrance, her face marked by scratches. Initially, police suspected a beating; however, the New York City medical examiner later confirmed strangulation as the cause of death.
“It was a shocking scene,” said Eva Rivera, a neighbor and friend of Leo, recalling the event to the Daily News. “Her son was yelling, ‘My mom was killed!'”
Vidal who had lived in the building’s attic apartment for around two years, was arrested the same day after her body was found after cops zeroed in on him.
“She was an incredibly nice lady,” Rivera said of Leo. “She never had any trouble with anybody. It was a terrible tragedy.”
Of Vidal, she said, “After killing her, he didn’t even run away. He went back to his room on the second floor and hid like nothing happened.”
Vidal, who was 19 at the time of the slaying, would always say he didn’t have work, Rivera said: “All he ever did was sit on the stairs.”
When cops arrested Vidal, he admitted, while crying, to strangling Leo and pushing her down a flight of stairs, according to prosecutors.
“When she fell, I didn’t help her because I was scared,” Vidal allegedly told arresting officers. “I didn’t know what to do, I’m not a doctor.
“It’s my fault that she died, because I pushed her,” he added.
Vidal plead guilty to manslaughter in January.
