Lindenhurst woman accused of killing guest in her home was also wounded, her lawyer says
Suffolk County police on Bristol Street in Lindenhurst last month investigating the death of a man later identified as Edwin Valentin. Credit: Paul Mazza
A Lindenhurst woman charged with murder and robbery in the stabbing death of a guest in her home also sustained wounds that were possibly inflicted with a fork during the altercation, her lawyer said Monday.
An indictment against the woman, 29-year-old Samantha Robson, is expected to be unsealed later this week, said the lawyer, John T. Powers of Hauppauge.
She is charged with killing Edwin Valentin, 34, of Wyandanch. The nature of the altercation has not been disclosed, nor have the details of their connection, if any. The death happened Sept. 29 inside her home, on Bristol Street, around 3:10 a.m.
At an arraignment Oct. 1, she pleaded not guilty before Suffolk County First District Judge Evan S. Tanenbaum, who ordered her jailed without bail, according to online court records.
A felony complaint against her says that she used a "cutting instrument" to stab Valentin, and that there are multiple witnesses.
One witness told a police detective of having heard Robson yell, "He is in the house" and that Robson said to call 911 and was scared. The witness said Robson "had blood all over her dress," according to a written statement attached to the complaint.
Another witness said: “I had heard fumbling and like banging around on the first floor, I came down to see what was happening."
That witness described walking toward the kitchen and saw who appears to have been Robson, who was fighting with a man.
“They weren’t like fighting but more wrestling standing up. ... When I saw them tussling there was tussling. There was blood all over both of them.”
Robson yelled to call 911, the witness said. The fighting was audible outside.
The witnesses' names were redacted in the statements, which were released by the district attorney's office spokeswoman Tania Lopez.
Powers said that Robson’s surgery was to remove a piece of metal from her right arm and there were wounds to her face and shoulder.
"We don’t know what the metal was," he said, adding: "She was slashed or gashed in her right cheek."
Robson is in the Suffolk jail medical unit, he said.
"They’re tending to her as she heals from wounds she sustained in the incident," he said.
He said she earns money by raising puppies to sell.
Valentin’s family couldn’t be reached for comment.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
