Woman Sentenced For Burglarizing Homes Of Grieving Spouses

GREENBURGH, NY — The Bronx woman who burglarized homes of families who were attending funerals will be going to prison.

Latonia Stewart, 30, of Bronx, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in state prison for each of six counts of second-degree burglary — to run concurrently — and one to three years in prison for fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property — to run consecutively to the 10-year sentence.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said Stewart was found guilty Oct. 14 of the six burglary counts and the one stolen property count.

She said the Bronx resident targeted people on one of the worst days of their lives knowing they wouldn't be home and stole their jewelry, valuables, letters and other keepsakes a spouse would cherish while grieving their loved one.

"This coldhearted crime is reprehensible," Rocah said.

Prosecutors said, between December 2017 and May 2018, Stewart burglarized the homes of six Westchester County residents in Cortlandt, Greenburgh, Ossining, Rye Brook, Scarsdale and Tarrytown.

The residents were out of their homes attending funeral services or wakes of a spouse, information Stewart found by searching obituaries online.

Jewelry, watches, silverware and other valuables were stolen, police said.

Stewart used a sledgehammer to break windows and glass doors to gain entry into some homes, causing more damage once inside.

She was arrested May 1, 2018, by members of the Greenburgh Police Department, after she had been seen driving away from the home of someone who had died. Authorities said she had jewelry in her car and an obituary pulled up from a website on her cell phone.

Following her arrest, police recovered more stolen items and burglary tools in her car and at her Bronx home.