No bail for ex-boyfriend charged in slaying

NEW CASSEL Nassau County prosecutors say Leonardo Valdez-Cruz is being held without bail after pleading not guilty Saturday to second-degree murder in Joanna Bird's death. The 24-year-old mother of two was found with multiple stab wounds Thursday in her home in New Cassel.

The telephone rang unanswered Saturday night at the Nassau County Legal Aid Society, which is representing Valdez-Cruz.

Prosecutors say the 23-year-old Valdez-Cruz was convicted in September of violating an order of protection involving Bird, and he was jailed for several months. They say he violated it again and beat and threatened her in January, but she declined to cooperate with investigators.

NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS

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