QUEENS — The boyfriend of a 28-year-old woman who was found dead in her bathtub with severe burns in downtown Jamaica in October was extradited from Florida Wednesday and charged with murder and arson, police said.
Carlos Leon Pineda, 27, is accused of killing his live-in girlfriend, Miriam Velez-Samayoa, and then setting her corpse on fire on Oct. 17 around 4 a.m. inside their third floor apartment on 90th Avenue, near 148th Street, officials said.
Velez-Samayoa's body was discovered after police responded to "a 911 call of a possible assault in progress," authorities said.
The victim was found with severe burns all over her body after an accelerant was used to set her on fire, police said.
Leon Pineda was nabbed in Miami, where investigators believe he traveled to by bus, on Oct. 20 near the Guatemalan Consulate, wearing the same clothes he wore on the day his girlfriend was killed, police sources said.
Sources also said investigators were able to find Leon Pineda by tracking his girlfriend’s phone which he had with him.
As of Thursday morning the motive for the crime remained unclear and police said Leon Pineda has not made any statements.
The couple, who had been dating for about seven months, was planning to fly to Guatemala to take care of Velez-Samayoa's ailing mother on the same morning she was found dead. Leon was supposed to get the tickets, but sources said he never purchased them.
His girlfriend was not aware of it and had her luggage ready for the trip, sources said.
The couple’s roommates told police they were not aware of any problems between the couple and there was no domestic violence history between them, authorities said.
Along with murder and arson, Leon Pineda has also been charged with reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence, police said.
It was not immediately clear as of Thursday morning whether he has been arraigned.
The Medical Examiner's office did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
