Police have charged a man currently locked up in federal prison with the murder of a Bronx mother fatally struck with a stray bullet back in 2017.
Detectives charged 31-year-old Jonathan Odenthal with murder on Aug. 19. Police sources did not disclose how detectives tied Odenthal to the Jan. 6, 2017, shooting that left 48-year-old Cindy Diaz dead.
Diaz was fatally gunned down as she made her way to a McDonald’s restaurant at 2012 Boston Road in West Farms in order to get dinner for her four children. Cops accuse Odenthal of attempting to shoot at another person when Diaz was struck in the torso and arm by stray gunfire.
EMS rushed her to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A man was also shot in the arm during the incident, but survived.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons database, Odenthal is currently in federal custody in West Virginia. Sources familiar with the investigation report that he was arrested in January 2023 for drug conspiracy, and has 10 prior arrests.
Odenthal was scheduled for release later this year, but was connected to the 2017 while behind bars.
Following Diaz’s death, her family advocated for more security cameras and improved lighting in the area.
