The jury will start deliberations today in Manhattan Supreme Court in
the murder case of star Prudential Douglas Elliman broker Linda Stein
after closing arguments yesterday in which the prosecution and defense
both admitted much of the confession of Stein’s accused killer was made
up. It was on the subject of who did the fabricating, however, where the two sides diverged wildly. Both sides admitted that Linda Stein was not killed with a weighted
yoga stick, as her assistant and accused killer, Natavia Lowery, had
stated in both her written and videotaped confessions. Nor did the
former punk rock group manager-turned-real estate broker blow marijuana
smoke in Lowery’s face setting off the fatal Oct. 30. 2007 bludgeoning
inside Stein’s Fifth Avenue apartment. And the number of times that
Lowery, 28, allegedly admitted striking Stein was off. According to
Lowery’s confessions, she said either six or 10 but the medical
examiner estimated somewhere north of two dozen. Defense attorney Thomas Giovanni tried to convince the jury that these
“guesses” and “lies” were fed to Lowery by detectives and she only
begrudgingly regurgitated these details as well as her “I did it”
confession to stop what had been a relentless 12 hours of
“interrogation.” “That’s the definition of a false confession,” he told the jurors during his 90-minute closing arguments yesterday. [more]

More than five hours after Linda Stein was believed to have been bludgeoned to death inside her Fifth Avenue apartment, her personal assistant left a message on the one-time punk rock manager turned celebrity real estate broker’s voice mail (listen to audio clip above). “Hey Linda, it’s Natavia,” began the message, which was played at the murder trial of the assistant, Natavia Lowery, in Manhattan Supreme Court. As the voice mail continued, Lowery, 28, told Stein that her ex-husband Seymour had called earlier that day then stated it was around 5:30 p.m. and that she was “leaving the office,” purportedly referring to the office of Prudential Douglas Elliman where Stein worked. “I hope that the [property] showing goes well,” Lowery’s brief message ended, “and I’ll see you tomorrow.” [more]

From left: Mandy Stein, daughter of the late broker Linda Stein (middle), and defendant Natavia Lowery

A lawyer for Natavia Lowery, the woman charged with killing Linda Stein, a former celebrity real estate broker and punk rock manager, said yesterday his client falsely admitted to the murder to give the detectives who questioned her “what they wanted to hear.”
The lawyer, John Christie, said the detectives who investigated Stein’s murder invited his client, Lowery, 28, to meet with them in a diner in November 2007. She was then taken to the 7th police precinct and questioned for 10 hours. Lowery had gotten through life by telling people “what they wanted to hear,” Christie said, and she did the same that day, wishing to end the interrogation.
Stein, 62, was found bludgeoned on the floor of her Fifth Avenue apartment Oct. 30, 2007. Stein’s family sold 18C, Stein’s one-bedroom, one-bathroom penthouse apartment at 965 Fifth Avenue, for $1.045 million in August 2008.
Yesterday, the 13th floor courtroom of Manhattan’s State Supreme Court was packed for the opening statements. The case has attracted wide attention due to Stein’s celebrity status — her clients included Sting, Elton John, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, and Angelina Jolie. She co-managed the band the Ramones prior to becoming a broker.
Christie admitted Lowery was guilty of stealing money from Stein, but said she was not someone able to carefully plan Stein’s murder and hide all the traces. She could not have prevented the blood, which splattered up to three feet high, to get on her clothes, Christie said. DNA evidence found on the scene did not link Lowery to the crime.
“Natavia is not a savvy criminal,” Christie said. “She is not capable of doing what happened to Linda Stein.” [more]

Natavia Lowery, who stands accused of killing broker Linda Stein, for whom she worked as a personal assistant, resides in the “punitive segregation” section in Rikers Island because she was found to have thrown liquid at a guard, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Correction. The type of liquid is still under investigation, the spokesperson said.
However, the guard was taken to the hospital to be cleaned and have her eyes checked out. The incident occurred Jan. 2. That same day, following the liquid toss, Lowery was relocated from her longtime cell — where she has spent more than two years — and put in a new one in the harsher
“punitive segregation” section. That part, which functions as sort of a jail within a jail, could be Lowery’s home until at least April. While it is, the spokesperson said, she can only leave her cell for an hour of mandated recreation a day, and, say, visits or religious services. Those in the general population at Rikers, meanwhile, are free to leave their cells during daylight hours. The trial was supposed to begin Monday morning. But just as soon as it started, in Manhattan’s State Supreme Court, Justice Richard Carruthers confusingly sent everybody home because Lowery was wearing an orange jumpsuit. Today, some of the mystery was cleared up. [more]

Prudential Douglas Elliman broker-to-the-stars Linda Stein was killed in her Fifth Avenue apartment by her personal assistant after a confrontation over work demands, law enforcement sources said. On October 30th, the assistant, Natavia Lowery, tried to negotiate with Stein about reducing the amount of extra work the broker gave her, sources said. Stein said she would pay for Lowery’s lunch, but Lowery insisted she could pay for it herself. Stein then allegedly asked how Lowery, an African-American, could afford lunch when people of her race lack money, Lowery said, according to law enforcement sources. Lowery took the yoga stick and attacked Stein with it, police said. [more]