Brooklyn Landlord Found Guilty Of Stabbing, Dismembering Tenant
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Brooklyn woman has been convicted in the killing and dismemberment of a friend and neighbor whose remains were discarded on Long Island.
A Suffolk County jury took only a few hours to convict Leah Cuevas of second-degree murder, Newsday reported.
Prosecutors say she killed 28-year-old Chinelle Latoya Thompson Browne in a dispute over rent and utility payments in the summer of 2014. Browne was renting a room from Cuevas.
Some of Browne's remains were found in an abandoned lot in Bay Shore. Her head and arms were found days later in three different locations about 25 miles west in Hempstead.
Trial testimony detailed the discovery of Browne's blood inside Cuevas' Brooklyn apartment. Prosecutors say Cuevas stabbed Browne 39 times.
Neighbors had said Browne had gotten into a fight with Cuevas just before she went missing.
Cuevas faces 25 years to life in prison when she's sentenced Jan. 14.
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