A Kew Gardens Hills woman is criminally charged with murder for allegedly killing her building superintendent, who was trying to collect tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent on behalf of the landlord, inside her apartment Tuesday. She is accused of beating the super to death with a metal pipe and hiding his body wrapped in garbage bags beneath a bed.
Sandra Coto-Navarro, 48, faces up to 25 years to life in prison after she was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court just before midnight on Thursday.
The victim, 55-year-old Jose Portillo, entered her apartment at 137-17 70th Ave. at around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday and his coworkers called the NYPD later that day after he failed to return repeated messages. Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows went to the apartment and found Portillo’s body wrapped in garbage bags and clothing stuffed under a bed inside her home.
According to the charges, on the morning of Jan. 14, Portillo, who lived just a block away on Jewel Avenue, entered Coto-Navarro’s apartment as he attempted to collect rent, which was due for more than two years. His coworkers attempted to contact Portillo multiple times throughout the day, but the victim never answered his phone.