A New York City landlord was cut loose in Bronx court Monday — and his half-brother was held on bail — after the pair allegedly beat a tenant to death with a baseball bat following a dispute over unpaid rent, prosecutors said.
The landlord, 43-year-old Omar Lamoni, was released on his own recognizance with supervised release — over the Bronx District Attorney’s Office’s request that he be held on $100,000 cash bail or $300,000 bond.
Lamoni’s half-brother Edwin Nina, 39, was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail, or $20,000 bond.
Kristopher Samaroo, 30, was killed outside his home. Obtained by NY Post
Edwin Nina, 39, left, was ordered held on bail and Omar Lamoni, 43, right, was cut loose after allegedly beating the tenant to death over a rent dispute. Tomas E. Gaston
NYPD crime scene investigators collecting evidence at the scene of a murder in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, New York. KYLE MAZZA/Shutterstock
Kristopher Samaroo, 30, was killed in a bloody beatdown with the brothers outside of his small brick home on Throgs Neck Expressway Saturday evening. There Nina showed up with a steel baseball bat, which he allegedly used to beat Samaroo to death.
“[The landlord’s brother] goes straight to the trunk of his car, grabs a steel bat, runs up my steps to the front of my house, and starts wailing on my husband,” Samaroo’s fiancée, Brittney Shears told News 12.
“From there, my husband jumps on him. They fall down here onto the ground.”
Lamoni joined in the fight after that, she told the outlet.
“They keep saying that we’re not paying rent at the moment, but that’s further from the truth,” said Shears. “[The landlord] accepts partial payment for rent because they keep cutting off my hot water.”
Investigators search for evidence at fatal assault scene in Throggs Neck. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
NYPD crime scene investigators searching for evidence at an assault scene. KYLE MAZZA/ShutterstockSamaroo made it back inside after the pummeling while Shears called 911, sources said.
When police arrived, they found Samaroo with “trauma around the body,” according to a NYPD spokesperson.
He was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries along the way.
Both brothers were charged with second-degree assault, according to police. Lamoni was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, who was nearby during the attack. It is unclear if the child had any connection to the men.
The investigation remains ongoing.
