Ep 14: Realtor to the Stars Bludgeoned by Her Assistant

The episode examines the 2007 murder of Linda Stein, a former co-manager of the Ramones who became a successful Manhattan real estate agent known for selling multimillion-dollar apartments to celebrities. Stein was found beaten to death in her Fifth Avenue penthouse after her personal assistant, Natavia Lowery, told family and friends that Linda was out running or walking in the park. Investigators discovered through building surveillance that Stein had never left the building and that Lowery was the only person seen going to the apartment that day. Surveillance also contradicted Lowery's account of how she traveled, and after questioning she gave several different explanations before eventually confessing to killing Stein.

Prosecutors argued that Lowery had been stealing from Stein and had taken more than $30,000 through unauthorized credit cards and ATM withdrawals. They said Stein had discovered the theft and was preparing to confront or report her assistant when she was killed. Lowery later recanted her confession, while her defense acknowledged that she was a thief but argued that did not make her a murderer. The jury convicted her of second-degree murder and grand larceny after about five hours of deliberation, and she was sentenced to 27 years to life. Lowery has maintained her innocence.

The episode uses Stein's death to examine the risks real estate professionals take when giving assistants extensive access to their personal and professional lives. Stein's daughters later sued Douglas Elliman, the brokerage where their mother was a contractor, and the temp agency that placed Lowery with Linda, but the claims were ultimately dismissed; the appellate court found that Stein, as an independent contractor, controlled her assistant's work. Sandi Lyn emphasizes that agents should use separate logins and limit assistants' access to critical systems, financial accounts, MLS credentials, electronic signatures, email, and lockboxes. She also recommends cutting off access and involving a bank, broker, or law enforcement before confronting someone suspected of stealing or other illegal or unethical behavior, while brokerages should have policies for complaints involving assistants and understand applicable rules governing background checks and reference checks.

00:00 — The Murder of Linda Stein

04:54 — From the Ramones to Real Estate

08:49 — The Realtor to the Stars

14:40 — Surveillance Reveals the Truth

19:20 — Four Different Stories

25:18 — The Theft Behind the Murder

32:28 — The Defense of Natavia Lowery

34:53 — The Murder Trial

36:40 — The Wrongful Death Lawsuit

40:00 — How Much Access Is Too Much?

42:00 — Protecting Yourself From an Insider

44:00 — What Brokers Should Be Doing

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