A New York City landlord was released Monday in a Bronx court after allegedly beating his tenant to death with a baseball bat during a dispute over unpaid rent, and his half-brother was released on bail, prosecutors said.
The homeowner, Omar Ramoni, 43, was released on his own recognizance on supervised release in response to a Bronx District Attorney's request for bail of $100,000 cash or $300,000 bail.
Ramoni's half-brother, Edwin Nina, 39, was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail. or Bond set at $20,000.
Christopher Samaroo, 30, died Saturday evening in a bloody fistfight with his brothers outside his small brick home on the Throggs Neck Expressway. It is said that Nina appeared with a steel baseball bat and used it to bludgeon Samaroo to death.
“[The landlord’s brother] Samaroo's fiancée, Britney Sears, went straight to the trunk of her car, grabbed a steel bat, ran up my stairs to the front of the house, and started crying to her husband. told News 12.
“From there, my husband jumped on him. They fall to the ground here.”
Later, Ramoni also joined the fight, she told the outlet.
“They keep saying we're not paying rent right now, but that's far from the truth,” Sears said. “[The landlord] Since the hot water continues to be turned off, they accept a partial payment of the rent. ”
Sources said Samaroo went back inside after being hit while Sears called 911.
When police arrived, they found Samaroo suffering from “trauma to the area around his body,” according to an NYPD spokesperson.
He was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries en route.
Both brothers were charged with second-degree assault, police said. Ramoni was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child who was nearby during the attack. It is unclear whether the child had any relationship with the men.
The investigation is still ongoing.
