In the quiet hamlet of Aquebogue, New York, friends and neighbors knew 69-year-old Lee Pedersen as a friendly man with a passion for antique engines. He meticulously maintained the 1930s cottage that had once belonged to his parents, splitting his time between this home and another in Lynbrook. Known for his generosity, he was the kind of person who would readily lend out his tools, donate blood, and shovel driveways for his neighbors in the winter.
But the tranquility of his life was shattered in March 2020, just a day after his 69th birthday.
On the evening of March 8, 2020, concerned for his well-being, Riverhead police conducted a welfare check at Pedersen's Pine Avenue home. Inside, they made a grim discovery: Lee Pedersen was dead, the victim of a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. His car keys, phone, and cash were missing from the residence. The ensuing investigation into his homicide would unravel a sinister plot born of greed and betrayal.
The investigation, which spanned nine months and involved the careful analysis of surveillance footage and cellphone records, led authorities to a 42-year-old Central Islip woman named Donatila O'Mahony. O'Mahony, who described Pedersen as 'one of the best friends I ever had,' was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport on December 28, 2020, holding one-way tickets to her native El Salvador for herself and her daughter. Prosecutors would later argue that her motive was simple: to murder Pedersen and steal his estate.
At trial, a chilling narrative emerged. O'Mahony had befriended Pedersen and then methodically planned his murder. She enlisted the help of a 76-year-old New Jersey man, George Woodworth, who admitted under oath to purchasing two handguns for her and allowing her to borrow his car on the night of the murder. Surveillance footage captured Woodworth's vehicle near Pedersen's home on the night he was killed. After the murder, O'Mahony had Woodworth destroy the handgun and dispose of other evidence. However, detectives recovered a crucial piece of evidence: a plastic bag of unused ammunition from Woodworth's home that contained the DNA of both O'Mahony and Lee Pedersen.
The prosecution's case was further solidified by evidence of O'Mahony's attempt to illegally obtain Pedersen's property. She had forged his will, naming herself as the inheritor of one of his homes, and convinced friends to sign it as witnesses. In January 2023, a Suffolk County jury found Donatila O'Mahony guilty of second-degree murder, criminal possession of a forged instrument, and attempted grand larceny. Despite her claims of innocence and attempts to blame Woodworth, she was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. At her sentencing, the judge condemned the act as a 'cold-blooded killing fueled by greed, treachery, and the complete disregard for Lee Pedersen's life.'
