A tenant accused of strangling his Queens landlady last year is an illegal immigrant from Colombia who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor, according to sources. The victim’s sister has expressed frustration, claiming authorities failed to act before it was too late.

Davi Vidal, 20, crossed the border illegally in San Luis, Arizona, in June 2022 at the age of 17. He was permitted to stay in the U.S. under the policy allowing unaccompanied minors entry for “humanitarian reasons,” federal law enforcement sources revealed.

NYC: "A Colombian migrant charged with killing his Queens landlady in a rent dispute was allowed into the US as an unaccompanied minor — and the victim’s outraged sister says authorities kept it quiet…"

"Davi Vidal, 20, crossed the border illegally in San Luis, Arizona, in… pic.twitter.com/0GHvG1pjBv

— Illegal Alien Crimes (@ImmigrantCrimes) November 5, 2024

Vidal was reportedly sponsored by an aunt in Wisconsin and was released with a scheduled immigration court date, though the exact date remains unclear.

On December 7, 2023, Vidal allegedly attacked his landlady, 55-year-old Zoraida Leo, during a rent dispute, leaving her dead in her East Elmhurst building. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on Vidal only after the incident.

“He’s a migrant who crossed the border illegally,” said Maria Leo, the victim’s sister and a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic. “How is it that the federal government let this delinquent go, only for him to kill an innocent woman — my sister? Vidal is an assassin.”

The Zoraida Leo family and our community calls for justice and answers regarding her murder at her home in East Elmhurst, Queens. pic.twitter.com/3sNcaZamrY

— Hiram Monserrate (@HiramMonserrate) November 6, 2024

Prosecutors stated that Leo’s son discovered her body the next day. Vidal was reportedly still at the scene, visibly emotional and with scratches on his body, when police arrived. He was later charged with second-degree murder.

Despite ICE’s detainer, New York City’s sanctuary law restricts local authorities from complying with deportation orders unless specific conditions are met.

The city’s Department of Correction noted an “INS warrant” for Vidal, though they declined to comment further. Vidal’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.