Homeless Man Sentenced After Death Of Woman At Budget Host Inn

A man charged with suffocating a homeless woman at the Budget Host Inn in Riverside in 2011 was sentenced to six years in jail on Monday.

According to a Newday report, Douglas Rico, 46, was sentenced to six years in jail after suffocating homeless woman Henrietta Scholl, 53, during sex.

In October, Patch reported that Rico pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter after a May, 2011 incident at the Budget Host Inn in Riverside during which the homeless man allegedly suffocated homeless woman Henrietta Sholl, 53.

Rico was sentenced before Judge John Toomey Jr. in Suffolk County Criminal Court.

Southampton Police said Sholl, 53 was found on a bed at the inn at 11:56 a.m. on May 6, 2011. Police said no weapon was used in her killing, and that she had been at the hotel for more than one day.

In June, 2011 Rico originally pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter in the first degree at the State Supreme Court in Riverhead. Rico was originally accused of second degree manslaughter.

Rico has remained remanded to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility without bail.

Court records show that Rico was arrested on Dec. 10, 2010 on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was later released on an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, meaning that if he was not arrested following his release, his charge would have been dropped. 

According to a Newday report, Rico admitted to suffocating Sholl with a pillow during sex in return for a plea that would mean no more than seven years in prison; the Suffolk County District attorney had asked for 10.