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A homeless man has been charged with murder and arson in connection with the death of Brooklyn philanthropist L. Antonio Litman.
New York City police on Tuesday arrested Dondre Richardson, 33, in connection with the Jan. 20 killing. Richardson’s address is listed as a psychiatric facility on an island between Manhattan and Rikers Island jail compound, the New York Daily News reported.
Emergency responders found Litman unconscious and unresponsive after responding to a fire at his brownstone in Brooklyn. The philanthropist had also suffered puncture wounds to his neck and chest before the fire started, authorities said.
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Litman was well-loved by his surrounding Brooklyn community and founded Virginia’s House of Hope, an organization that gave out school supplies, food, clothing and educational toys to thousands of needy New York City families. Litman also worked with International Registries, an organization that handles vessel and corporate registrations. He was the assistant to the managing partner of the New York Office.
Litman’s brother expressed relief that an arrest had been made and added that he does not know Richardson.
“I want to ask him what made him do what he did to my brother — my brother’s a giver,” George Litman told the News. “I want to know myself, what would make you take my brother’s life?”
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An apparently heartbroken George Litman added, “You took everything from me. He’s my only brother. You took everything from me and it really hurts.”
During questioning by police, Richardson said that he knew Litman, but as police pressed to know more, Richardson began behaving erratically, the News reported that police said. Richardson was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Litman was known fondly as the “Mayor of Adelphi Street” because of his generosity and popularity in the community. He founded Virginia’s House of Hope in 2006 and had lived in his home in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn for three decades.