19-year-old Davi Vidal accused of murdering landlord Zoraida Leo in Queens
NEW YORK -- Police say a rent dispute turned deadly in Queens earlier this week.
Officers responded to a home between 32nd Avenue and Northern Boulevard in Elmhurst around 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Inside, investigators say they found 55-year-old Zoraida Leo unconscious with scratches on her face. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors say Leo, the building's landlord, lived on the main level, and tenants lived on the ground- and second-floor levels of the house.
One of her tenants, 19-year-old Davi Vidal, was arrested and charged with murder.
Investigators say it appears a rent dispute between the two led to the killing.
"She was a very quiet lady," one person said. "Actually, I understand that for a whole year, he didn't pay rent. That's why she kept on asking and asking, and this is the way it ended. It's terrible."
Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of death.