A Washington Heights man convicted of ambushing his neighbor and her friend during a dog walk, then shooting the woman’s dog too, has been sentenced to life without parole in state prison. Lenue Moore, 34, was sentenced for the September 2023 killings of Jacqueline Billini, 57, and Levaughn Harvin, 42, along with the fatal shooting of Billini’s dog, Zeus.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
announced the sentence, writing that the court sentenced Moore to life without parole in state prison “for fatally shooting Jacqueline Billini, her friend Levaughn Harvi and Ms. Billini’s dog, Zeus, in Washington Heights.” A jury convicted Moore on all counts in the case.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Moore was indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, one count of aggravated criminal contempt, and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals. Yahoo News reported that a jury found Moore guilty on all counts in the case.
A Violent Confrontation Months Before the Shooting
Prosecutors said the case had a chilling prelude. On April 11, 2023, Moore allegedly tried to kick in Billini’s apartment door, breaking her arm and injuring another person inside, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Orders of protection were issued for Billini and the two other people hurt in that incident, the office said.
Billini had reported the earlier violence to police, and Bragg said in his announcement that she came forward to report it. Despite the protective order, prosecutors said Moore went on to kill her months later.
An Ambush During an Evening Dog Walk
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Billini was walking her dogs with her friend Levaughn Harvin near West 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue at around 6:30 p.m. on September 29, 2023, when Moore came up behind them and fired approximately 12 shots. The office said Moore struck Billini in the back of the head, killing her, and struck Harvin in the neck, damaging major blood vessels and killing him.
One of Billini’s dogs, Zeus, was also fatally shot, struck in the upper portion of his back, the District Attorney’s Office said. After the shooting, prosecutors said Moore fled toward Amsterdam Avenue and boarded a southbound M101 bus.
Found Hiding Under a Bed in Brooklyn
Police did not catch up with Moore for nearly a month. On October 26, 2023, officers tracked him to an apartment in Brooklyn, where they found him hiding under a bed and placed him under arrest, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Bragg said in his announcement that Moore fatally shot Billini, Harvin, and her dog. The office thanked the NYPD for its work on the investigation. Prosecution of the case involved senior trial counsel Joshua Steinglass, assistant district attorney Kristin Bailey, Trial Bureau 40 chief Robert Ferrari, and trial division chief Lisa DelPizzo.
With sentencing complete, Moore will spend the rest of his life in state prison for the killings, closing out a case that began with a broken arm and a protective order and ended in a fatal ambush on a Washington Heights sidewalk.
