Central Islip woman found guilty of murder
Update on 03/02/23: Donatila O’Mahony, 43, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after a jury found her guilty of killing Lee Pedersen, 69, of Aquebogue, in March 2020.
Defendant Donatila O’Mahony Faces 25 Years to Life in Prison
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Jan. 24 that a jury has found 42-year-old Donatila O’Mahony guilty in the murder of an Aquebogue man in March 2020 and forging the victim’s will in an attempt to inherit his estate.
“The motive for this murder was greed, pure and simple,” said District Attorney Tierney. “O’Mahony befriended the victim and then deliberately set out to steal his estate. The jury has found this defendant guilty and hopefully the victim’s loved ones will now have a small measure of justice knowing his killer will be held responsible for her actions.”
The evidence at trial established that the body of Lee Pedersen, 69, was discovered in his Aquebogue home on March 8, 2020. Pedersen died of a single gunshot to the back of his head. Several items, including Pedersen’s phone and cash, were missing from the home. The ensuing police investigation, which included interviewing several of Pedersen’s friends, including the defendant, as well as the recovery of surveillance video and the review of cell phone cell sites and records, revealed that the defendant was responsible for his murder.
According to evidence included at the trial, in 2019 O’Mahony asked a friend to purchase two handguns for her, a Glock .9 mm and a Sig Sauer .9 mm, in New Jersey to use for the murder. 2 The defendant borrowed the friend’s car and was captured on video surveillance in the area of Pedersen’s home on the night of the murder. When O’Mahony returned several hours later following the murder, she asked the friend to dispose of several items, including the Sig Sauer handgun he had purchased for her, ammunition and clothes. After returning to New Jersey, the friend destroyed the handgun and disposed of the clothes but kept the plastic bag of ammunition in his home. After the bag was recovered by the police, it was swabbed for DNA.
Analysis by forensic scientists at the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory revealed the presence of both O’Mahony’s and the victim’s DNA. In addition to being convicted for her involvement in Pedersen’s murder, O’Mahony was convicted for forging Pedersen’s will and attempting to steal one of the homes he owned. The evidence regarding those crimes included the testimony of other friends of O’Mahony who she convinced to sign the forged will as witnesses.
O’Mahony was convicted by the jury of all charges against her – Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree and Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. She faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
