José Olaya, 16, charged with murder of neighbor Linda Levy during home invasion in Levittown
The teenage neighbor of a Levittown woman fatally beaten during a home invasion robbery was arraigned on Thursday in her killing.
The 16-year-old boy, José Olaya, who lived with his parents across the street from Linda Levy, 64, pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of burglary.
A 15-year-old co-defendant, Brandon DeJesus, had previously been arraigned on an assault charge.
Nassau County prosecutor Daryl Levy, who is not related to the victim, said that on the night of June 9, the two boys broke into the woman’s house on Straight Lane with the intention of robbing the place.
"What started out as a residential burglary in Nassau County turned incredibly violent," he said at the hearing. "They beat her to the point that she was hospitalized on the day of the burglary and never recovered."
Nassau County police had previously said that the assailants attacked Levy, a lawyer who worked out of her home, in her bed around 2:30 a.m.
Doctors treated Levy, who friends said lived alone since the death of her parents, for severe head injuries for two months until she finally succumbed to her injuries on Aug. 8, according to police.
Defense lawyer Donald Rollock said that his client had no prior criminal history and argued that the teen should be released into the custody of his parents, who were in the courtroom for the arraignment.
"These are allegations that are made by the government," Rollock said. "We don’t know any of that facts as far as what my client did."
The lawyer also pointed out that the judge released the co-defendant, whose father is a law enforcement officer, without any bail.
"I hope that there’s no favoritism here," he said.
Supreme Court Justice Teresa Corrigan said that the bail of the other teen, who was charged with assault, may be amended at the next court date. She remanded Olaya to the Nassau County Juvenile Detention Center, where he will be held until his next court date Sept. 12..
The attack left neighborhood residents wondering about their own safety.
"When somebody breaks into a neighbor’s house and kills her, you’re going to be on edge," said Robert Kocarnik, who lives a few doors down from the suspect.
Levy, who went by Lindsay to members of the Long Island car group CORE, which stands for Corvette Open Road Excursions, had taken care of her parents until their deaths, according to John DiBlasi, who leads the group. She had a brother who also died.
"She was a giving person and everyone liked her," DiBlasi said Thursday. "She wasn’t a lonely person, but she was alone. Her participation in our club was her way to seek companionship."
He said she owned a red early 2000s Corvette with the vanity license plate, "4U I SUE," referencing her boutique legal practice.
The group grew concerned several months ago when she didn’t show up for events and after calling around found out what happened.
"We were on Lindsay-watch for the remainder of her days," he said.
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