The Central Islip woman charged with murdering an Aquebogue man in March 2020 attempted to steal his home by presenting a forged will naming herself as beneficiary, according to prosecutors.
Donatila O’Mahony, 41, has been indicted on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony; Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony; and Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class D felony, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini announced today.
“Her alleged actions were diabolical,” Sini said. “Not only was this defendant allegedly involved in the victim’s death, but she then attempted to steal the very house he was murdered in.”
Lee Pedersen, 69, of Pine Avenue in Aquebogue died of a gunshot wound sometime between March 5 and March 8, 2020. Riverhead Town Police were called to Pedersen’s residence to check on his welfare at approximately 10:24 p.m. on March 8, 2020 and found him dead, Sini said.
Immediately following Pedersen’s death, law enforcement obtained a copy of his will, in which he named a friend as executor and beneficiary of his house in Aquebogue, according to the district attorney.
In June 2020, O’Mahony, who was an acquaintance of Pedersen’s and was unaware that his will had already been obtained, allegedly provided a copy of a forged will to law enforcement in which she was named as executor and inheritor of the Aquebogue house, Sini said.
Further investigation revealed that O’Mahony was allegedly involved in shooting and killing Pedersen, while acting in concert with another or others, he said.
O’Mahony was arraigned on the indictment virtually today in front of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft and was remanded without bail. She is being represented by Jason Bassett and is due back in court on April 1, according to a press release issued by the district attorney’s office this afternoon.
If convicted of the top count, O’Mahony faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Francis X. Schroeder, of the Felony Offense Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Ferron Lien, of the Felony Offense Bureau’s Major Crime Unit.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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