What to Know
- The body of L. Antonio Litman was found when firefighters encountered heavy fire on the first floor of the Adelphi Street building earlier this month
- Litman had stab wounds to his neck and his death was ruled a homicide, though an official cause of death has yet to be released
- Police said Wednesday that a 33-year-old Manhattan man had been arrested in the case
A 33-year-old Manhattan man has been arrested on murder and arson charges in the death of a New York City philanthropist whose body was found with stab wounds when firefighters responded to a raging blaze at a Fort Greene building earlier this month.
Authorities had classified the Jan. 20 Adelphi Street fire where L. Antonio Litman was found as suspicious and ruled the case a homicide. Cops said Wednesday that Dondre Richardson had been arrested, though there was no immediate information on his relationship to the victim.
First responders initially encountered heavy fire on the first floor of the building that Monday; then they stumbled upon Litman, who had a body of fire around him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Litman founded the charity Virginia's House of Hope, a foundation that, since 2006, has distributed school supplies, food, clothing and educational toys to more than 10,000 families.
On the charity's website, Litman shared the vision for Virginia's House of Hope.
"I grew up on a farm in South Carolina, and was raised by my family to give to those in our community who were less fortunate. We shared what we grew on our farm with anyone in need. This experience stayed with me even after leaving South Carolina for New York City, although I did not know where to begin," he shared in a letter on the organization's website.
"Charitable work can be very difficult, and I realized that my efforts could have more impact if I reached out to others for help. In order to do so, I took the proverbial leap of faith and founded a non-profit charitable organization called "Virginia’s House of Hope," he wrote.
It wasn't immediately clear if Richardson had an attorney who could comment on the case.
