Nadell murder suspects to be arraigned, inheritance suspected as motive

Pictured from top: Diana Nadell, Tanisha Joyner, Eltia Grant

NEW CITY – Four individuals accused of plotting together in the January 25 murder of Valley Cottage resident Peggy Nadell, 80, have been slated to appear in the Clarkstown Justice Court this week for arraignment.

All four of the accused women waived extradition to Rockland, agreeing to go voluntarily. After her arrest in the Washington D.C. area last week, Tanisha Joyner, 26, pled not guilty on Tuesday night. She is currently being held on $500,000 bail at the Rockland County Jail and is due back in court on June 2.

The other three have yet to be arraigned. Eltia Grant, 24 of East Long Beach, California, will be arraigned on Thursday morning, while Diana Nadell, 50 of Cutler Bay, Florida and Andrea Benson, 25, of Washington D.C. will be arraigned sometime next week.

Newly-released details also highlight a suspected financial motive behind the murder. According to prosecutors, it is believed Diana Nadell worked with the other three women in an effort to secure a $4 million marital inheritance from her mother-in-law’s estate.

The complaint states Diana Nadell and Benson used a prepaid cell phone to lure Peggy Nadell to the door of her 644 Andover Road home in Valley Cottage in the early morning hours of January 25. After Nadell let them in, they beat and stabbed her to death.

Grant and Joyner entered the case as co-conspirators when they allegedly assisted Nadell and Bailey with an alibi. Grant allegedly arranged for Nadell to leave her cell phone with Joyner, who used it to send messages to create the appearance Nadell was elsewhere at the time of her mother-in-law’s murder.

The plot was uncovered when electronic communications between Benson and her associates were discovered. For her effort, Benson and Joyner allegedly expected a fee, potentially making the case an instance of murder-for-hire.