Photo: Suffolk County Police
The suspect in the July 10 strangulation death of a Greenport woman at her home on Second Street was arraigned on a murder charge in Riverhead today.
Jaime DeLeon-Tito, 23, was ordered held on $1 million cash bail or $2 million bond at his arraignment before State Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro in a Riverhead courtroom.
DeLeon-Tito pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said in a statement.
According to the prosecutors, DeLeon-Tito strangled 27-year-old Michelle Schiavoni to death in her home on July 10. He was arrested the next day.
DeLeon-Tito, who returns to court on August 17, is in the United States illegally and is subject to a hold order by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security, according to court records.
The suspect remains in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
