Queens Tenant Charged with Murder of Building Superintendent Over Rent Dispute

Sandra Coto Navarro, 48, is accused of killing Jose Portillo, 55, following a $24,000 back rent disagreement in Kew Gardens Hills, New York.

Jose Portillo, a longtime building superintendent, was found dead under a bed, wrapped in garbage bags, after a wellness check at a Queens apartment.
Sandra Coto Navarro, the tenant of the apartment, has been charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and weapon possession.
Authorities allege that Coto Navarro struck Portillo on the head and stabbed him in the neck and leg during a confrontation over unpaid rent.
Coto Navarro and her husband reportedly owed $24,000 in back rent, but surveillance footage confirmed her husband was not present during the killing.
Neighbors described Portillo as a kind and helpful man who had worked as the superintendent for decades, leaving the community in shock over his death.