Woman who led lover to death in West Babylon gets probation

A Manhattan woman who led her lover to his execution in West Babylon more than eight years ago was sentenced Friday to probation, because her testimony earlier this year helped convict the man charged with the killing.

Noriella Santos, 28, also was once charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 31, 2009, shooting of Michael Sinclair, 32, of Brooklyn. But after she agreed to cooperate against her on-and-off, abusive boyfriend, Daniel Greenspan, she pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted robbery.

“Without you, the crime never would have happened, but also without you the people never would have secured a conviction” of Greenspan, state Supreme Court Justice William Condon said in Riverhead. “This was the equivalent of a lamb being led to slaughter, and you led him there . . . I certainly could be justified in sending you to state’s prison, but I don’t know what that would accomplish.”

Greenspan, 31, of Manhattan, was convicted of second-degree murder in March. Prosecutors say that after he contracted genital herpes, he assumed that Santos gave it to him after she had a brief relationship with Sinclair. Greenspan demanded that Santos lure Sinclair to West Babylon so he could beat Sinclair, but instead he shot him.

“With every fiber of my being and from the depth of my heart, I am truly sorry for the loss of Michael Sinclair,” Santos said, starting to cry.

Assistant District Attorney Nancy Clifford agreed there would be no conviction of Greenspan without Santos’ testimony, and she acknowledged that Greenspan — known then as Danny Rivera — had physically and sexually abused her for years.

She urged Condon to impose a sentence of 2 years.

Defense attorney Michael Dowd of Manhattan said Santos has regretted everything she did that night, but was powerless to do otherwise.