Man arrested for allegedly beating 88-year-old woman to death in 2003

SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. (TCN) -- Prosecutors recently announced charges against a 51-year-old man accused of killing an elderly woman over two decades ago.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, on Dec. 12, 2003, a neighbor noticed that the door to 88-year-old Edna Schubert’s home was ajar, and a window was broken with papers blowing out. The neighbor went into the residence and discovered Schubert had been beaten to death before calling 911.

Investigators collected and preserved evidence from the scene. However, despite their efforts, authorities were unable to identify a suspect at the time, and the case went cold.

A retired detective called the homicide unit in 2023 to discuss advancements in DNA technology and re-examining the case. District Attorney Ray Tierney said the detective "never forgot Edna and never gave up."

Investigators tested fingerprints, blood, and other DNA evidence from the scene, and it matched with Raul Ayala, who lived in the neighborhood at the time. He was 29 when Schubert died.

According to prosecutors, in August 2024, police traveled to Ayala’s new home state of Georgia to conduct surveillance on him. Authorities recovered items he threw away, obtained DNA from him, and compared it to DNA found at the scene. As a result, police identified Ayala as the primary suspect and arrested him on Jan. 16. He was later extradited back to New York.

On Feb. 7, prosecutors announced that Ayala was indicted for first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Schubert was reportedly a retired widow with no children, but she was known as the "grandma of her neighborhood."

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