NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman murdered and tried to dismember her building superintendent in Queens as he was attempting to collect back rent from her, then hid his body under a bed, prosecutors said Friday.
Sandra Coto-Navarro, 48, was arraigned Thursday night on charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the grisly killing Tuesday morning at her apartment in Kew Gardens Hills.
"This was a gruesome murder," Queens D.A. Melinda Katz said. "Now, a life has been lost, and a family is in upheaval because the defendant allegedly chose to resolve a rent dispute with violence. This is not the way a civilized society operates."
According to prosecutors and police, Coto-Navarro bludgeoned super Jose Portillo, 55, to death inside her apartment at 137-17 70th Ave., then tried to dismember him and wrapped his body in garbage bags that she stuffed under a bed at the home.
Portillo went to collect back rent from Coto-Navarro around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday at the request of his employer, but his coworkers called police to do a wellness check around 5 p.m. after they were unable to reach him by phone.
When police initially interviewed Coto-Navarro on Tuesday evening, she allegedly told them Portillo had stopped by her apartment earlier in the day and that she had paid him $23,000.
She said that he left her apartment, but when police reviewed surveillance video, they saw him enter the apartment but never leave, according to prosecutors.
When police returned to search the apartment, they went into a bedroom and found Portillo's body wrapped in clothing and black garbage bags and stuffed under a bed, according to prosecutors.
Police reported a strong odor of bleach in the room, as well as a mop and what appeared to be blood by the bed and a dresser.
The medical examiner found the victim had suffered multiple blunt force injuries to his head and that a bag had been placed over his head, causing his death.
He also suffered post-mortem sharp force injuries to his neck and left leg near his knee, leading investigators to believe attempts were made to dismember him.
Coto-Navarro faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison if convicted.
A young mother who lives next door remembered Portillo as "a big, nice guy."
"To think somebody did that and he's in a bag in pieces is just freaky," she said. "I don't know who managed to do that. This whole thing is crazy to me."
