Ex-Con Steals Home From Elderly New Yorker and Moves HIs Family In

A New York City senior went to her family’s home in Queens and found the locks had been changed. She also noticed all her possessions were gone.

Jennifer Merin spends most of her time in her Manhattan apartment these days. Her family home – which is in Queens – sat full of her family heirlooms but was only used as a second home, that is until an ex-con hatched a sinister plot to steal her home.

Using a forged deed, Darrell Beatty simply moved into Merin’s 3-bedroom house, trashing over 80 years of accumulated heirlooms and bringing his sons and a pit bull to live with him.

Merin first noticed something was wrong when her water bill was way too high. So she went to Queens to check on the home. She soon found out she no longer had access to the property and strangers were living inside.

“He’d removed everything from the house and moved in,” Merin said.

After reporting the police, they first told her it was a civil matter. The district attorney, however, said that Beatty was a thief and ordered him arrested.

On. Oct 22, Beatty posted bail on seven felonies and actually had the balls to move right back in to Merin’s home.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Merin said after finding it nearly impossible to get the squatters out. “I can’t even begin to describe the anguish that I feel.”

She also expressed concern that Beatty, the dog and the boys may have trashed the home, but without a court order, she could not order them out even after he was arrested for the theft.

Today in court, though, the judge finally ordered Beatty and his kids and pit bull out within 10 days.

Marin said she is relieved, but is frustrated the process is not over yet.