A Queens man who beat a would-be burglar to death with a baseball bat is now facing manslaughter charges after a medical examiner concluded the victim’s manner of death was a homicide.
According to the New York Daily News, Joel Paul, 27 and his 16-year-old brother Michael ordered a pizza and assumed it was the delivery man who knocked on their Williamson Avenue door at 2:40 AM July 30. Instead, the two encountered Shamel Shavuo, who tried to force himself into the home.
Shavuo, 44, got his foot in the doorway however, Michael was able to force him back out onto the front lawn and lock the door. The teen’s mother, Melinda Pitter, 57, then called Joel to help with the situation.
The intruder, a Maryland resident, reportedly died from being hit multiple times with a baseball bat and being stabbed. The brothers were initially taken into police custody but released. However, last month the medical examiner concluded Shavuo’s death was murder.
Joel Paul arraignment is pending. His youngest brother was not charged. At the time of Shavuo’s death, he was wanted for a July 20 shooting in Baltimore. The victim survived.
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