+ BUSINESS
NYU Langone Health plans to build medical tower on $33M property at Datura, South Dixie Highway
A judge has sentenced a 28-year-old Palm Beach County man to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense in the 2018 shooting death of another man in Lake Worth Beach.
Odney Alexis pleaded guilty to one count of thirddegree felony murder in the Sept. 18, 2018, death of 24year-old William Perez at the Orange Grove Mobile Home Park along Sixth Avenue South. A grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge in April 2021.
NYU Langone Health paid $33 million in January for a downtown West Palm Beach property, where the nationally respected New York-based health care provider plans a custom-built medical tower.
NYU Langone, which currently leases medical office space downtown, eventually will move into its own building at 324 Datura St., at the southeast corner of Datura and South Dixie Highway.
The January property purchase underscores NYU Langone’s commitment to growing its presence in Palm Beach County — and serving patients and patrons loyal to the renowned nonprofit provider.
NYU Langone first opened its Palm Beach County offices seven years ago but began planning a major expansion a couple of years ago as its patient roster grew with the influx of residents into the county, especially from the Northeast.
An NYU Langone spokesman was mum on details, for now.
“While we aren’t able to share additional details at this time, NYU Langone has been working to expand the exceptional services we offer in the Palm Beach area and we hope to offer more information soon,” spokesman Steve Ritea said on Wednesday.
NYU Langone isn’t alone in wanting to capitalize on Palm Beach County’s booming population, including a pandemic-fueled influx of well-insured patients from the Northeast and Midwest.
In recent years, a number of out-of-area providers, including Cleveland Clinic, the Hospital for Special Surgery and Tampa General Hospital, also have either established offices in West Palm Beach, purchased physician practice groups, or both.
Jail records do not list a current address for Alexis but show he previously has resided in Lake Worth Beach and Belle Glade.
During a hearing Thursday, Assistant State Attorney Marci Rex told the court that Perez was killed during an apparent drug transaction in which Perez intended to sell marijuana.
Cellphone records established communications between Alexis and Perez on the day Perez was killed. A car seen fleeing after Perez died was identified as belonging to Alexis’ girlfriend, and a bank card belonging to Alexis was found inside.
However, the evidence would likely show that the fatal shooting was carried out by someone else in the car, Rex said. To date, no one else has been arrested in connection with the crime.
Perez’s mother addressed the court, telling Circuit Judge Howard Coates through a Spanish interpreter that
Business leaders welcome the trend, saying the increase in health care providers offers patients greater choices and higher-quality service for their medical needs.
Site previously traded for $10.6 million
A deed recorded Jan. 31 with the Palm Beach County clerk’s office shows the Jan. 14 sale of the property to New York University.
The seller was MCM 324 Datura, an affiliate of Morning Calm Management, a Boca Raton-based real estate company.
Morning Calm founder Mukang Cho didn’t return she believed Alexis was being untruthful and uncooperative with efforts to identify others involved in the attack. She said she will never be able to overcome the pain and feeling of emptiness caused by her son’s death.
Alexis made a brief statement, saying only: “I’m sorry for the way she feels about me, but I did not do it. I had nothing to do with it.”
In approving the plea agreement, Coates credited Alexis with nearly three years of time served in jail while awaiting trial.
Coates said he understood the Perez family’s desire for Alexis to receive a harsher penalty, but noted there would have been no guarantee of Alexis being found guilty had the case gone to trial.
“It is a sentence that brings a certainty of punishment and a certainty of justice to the state and also the victim’s family,” he said in approving the state’s plea offer.