Authorities in New York City say a Brooklyn woman whose body was dismembered and scattered across Long Island was killed by her supposed landlord after declining to pay for utilities that barely worked.
Chinelle Latoya Thompson Browne, 27, had been missing since Jul. 5. According to the New York Daily News, that's when neighbors her the mother of four arguing with Leah Cuevas, 42. Browne, a Guyanese immigrant who was renting a room in the apartment of Cuevas' deceased uncle for $400 a month.
Citing court records, the Daily News says that Cuevas also charged Browne $200 monthly for unreliable water and electricity. When she learned that Cuevas wasn't even legally her landlord, she refused to pay the $200 and sought to move out.
However, when Cuevas demanded the $200, their dispute turned violent:
No, Leah! What you doing?” a neighbor heard Chinelle Latoya Thompson Browne’s gut-wrenching scream during the fatal attack. “Oh, no! Oh, no! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Cuevas cursed back at Browne, telling her to “Shut the f--- up,” according to court documents.
“The scare in (Browne’s) voice was like nothing I ever heard before,” a witness told detectives.
Between Jul. 8 and Jul. 17, Browne's torso, legs, arms, and head were discovered in different parts of Long Island. Cuevas pleaded not guilty to murder charges, and is currently being held without bail.
Browne's husband, Dale Browne, and children still plan to move to New York City.
[via New York Daily News]
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