Rent argument leads to ‘gruesome’ murder of New York superintendent, officials say
An apartment superintendent and father of three was killed by a tenant while he was trying to collect unpaid rent from her, New York authorities said.
Sandra Coto-Navarro, 48, was charged Jan. 16 with second degree murder, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, according to police records and a Jan. 17 news release from the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
According to authorities, 55-year-old Jose ‘Rene’ Portillo went to Coto-Navarro’s apartment in Kew Gardens Hills in Queens at about 9 a.m. Jan. 14 to gather rent money, but when he didn’t return for a few hours, his co-workers became concerned.
At approximately 5 p.m., after Portillo’s co-workers tried calling his phone with no luck, they called the police, authorities said.
When officers spoke with Coto-Navarro that day, she told them Portillo had stopped by earlier and left after she paid him the $23,000 she owed in past-due rent, according to the release.
But security footage of Portillo at Coto-Navarro’s apartment never showed him leaving, authorities said.
Then officers returned to Coto-Navarro’s unit, where they were directed to a bedroom that smelled strongly of bleach, according to police.
Portillo’s body, which had sustained blunt and sharp force wounds to his head and neck, was found underneath a bed in the room, “wrapped in clothing and black garbage bags,” police reported.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide, and Coto-Navarro was arrested, according to police records.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, authorities said.
“This was a gruesome murder,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said in the release. “Now, a life has been lost and a family is in upheaval because the defendant allegedly chose to resolve a rent dispute with violence.”
Portillo was remembered as a dedicated father and hardworking community member, according to a GoFundMe page.
“Truly such a great man gone too soon — blessed to have known him in my life,” one person commented. “Thank you Rene for creating such great memories for us in our childhood. May you rest in peace.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Rent argument leads to ‘gruesome’ murder of New York superintendent, officials say."
