By Dustin Brown
Nearly two years to the day after a Ridgewood man was beaten to death with a hammer, his former tenant has been charged with murdering him and then slaying his widow a month later, the Queens district attorney said.
Ruben Reyes, 31, formerly of 60-15 Madison St., allegedly attacked Wasyl Sluzala, 74, with a hammer during an argument over his rent in August 1999, DA Richard Brown said. The indictment alleges he returned to the apartment a month later and killed the landlord’s 64-year-old wife, Sophie Sluzala, by squeezing her until she went limp.
Reyes has been charged with murder, manslaughter, burglary, tampering with criminal evidence and criminal possession of a weapon, the district attorney said. He faces 25 years to life if convicted.
The couple, both originally from the Ukraine, had lived in the same house at 60-15 Madison Ave. in Ridgewood for 33 years. They rented five of the apartments and lived in the sixth.
Sophie Sluzala had discovered her husband lying on the basement floor late in the evening Aug. 19, 1999, one hour after she returned home from visiting a friend. Bleeding from the head and moaning unintelligibly, he died shortly after midnight at Elmhurst Hospital from multiple blunt impact trauma to the head, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner’s office.
Reyes allegedly destroyed evidence of the crime by sticking the hammer, his bloody clothes and his shoes in a duffel bag and burning them in a Manhattan alley, the district attorney said.
Sluzala’s wife was found dead a month later on Sept. 20 in the basement where she had discovered the body of her husband. Although the medical examiner originally listed the cause-of-death as undetermined, it was changed earlier this month to “cardiac arrest during physical altercation with another person” and ruled a homocide, Borakove said.
Brown said Reyes allegedly killed Sophie Sluzala after entering the apartment on Sept. 15 to pay his rent.
“She apparently became extremely upset and began yelling at him to leave,” the DA said. “He then allegedly approached her and seized her around the body and squeezed her until she went limp.”
Brown said Reyes allegedly hid the body in the basement before closing and locking the door to the house.
Neighbors said they thought Sophie Sluzala had died of natural causes and were unaware that her death had been ruled a murder.
“She got very upset when she was down in the basement one time and she herself had a heart attack,” said Frances Schlegel, who has lived for 40 years across the street from the Sluzala’s building.
Her husband, William Schlegel, said the neighborhood has moved on since the two deaths.
“They were advertising on the windows and the stores for any leads that they might have,” Schlegel said. “Nothing ever came of it. It’s just been generally forgotten about by now.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
