Edgar Ortega was charged with manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend, Sheila Cordell. Ortega, a DJ at Suede, and Cordell, a stripper/part-time real state student, were fighting the other night when she fell from their four story apartment.
Prosecutors charged Tuesday that Ortega told a police detective that Cordell fell out of the fourth-floor window of her apartment after he pushed her during an argument. The detective also spoke with a witness from a neighboring building who said Cordell cried out words to the effect of "No, no, no, don't do it," as her head was pressed against the partially open window before her plunge. [Via WNBC]
However, Ortega's lawyer claims that Cordell was high on coke when she stepped out onto the ledge, plus says the confession Ortega made was coerced.
Previous Gothamist coverage of Sheila Cordell's death and other NY crimes.
