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Feb 7, 2008 12:06 am US/Eastern
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Tribute Held For 'Realtor To The Stars' Stein
Daughters Break Public Silence Following Brutal Murder
Reporting
Lou Young
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Samantha Wells planned the party at the Club Marquee in Chelsea Wednesday night before her mother, Linda Stein, was murdered.
Now, the gathering is part 35th birthday party, part tribute to the rock promoter who became known as "The Real Estate Agent to the Stars." It was the first time the daughters, Samantha Wells and Mandy Stein, have spoken since the funeral.
Wells says the party was originally her mother's idea and that she didn't have the heart to cancel it. She knew the brassy woman who helped launch the punk-rock group "The Ramones" and later earned a fortune brokering real estate deals for high profile celebrities wouldn't have tolerated it.
Still, Wells wasn't in the mood for celebration until she and her daughters came across a charity that they could link to her mother's name.
The Linda Stein Fund is raising money for an organization called "The Family Center," which helps the children of parents stricken with serious life-threatening diseases. Linda Stein was a breast cancer survivor and the charity hit a cord. Wells decided to have the party as her mother would've wished although she told CBS 2 HD it was a tough decision.
"It's a hard night," Wells said, "A really hard night but I keep thinking about the children who will benefit and that's what helped me get dressed and get down here and now I'm going to try and have a good time."
Younger sister Mandy Stein, who discovered Linda's body in the Fifth Avenue apartment the night before Halloween, said the idea is helpful as they try to move past the tragedy.
"It's a way to see friends under the circumstance, and have some fun. You know," Mandy Stein said "It's been tough."
The full horror of the murder didn't really set in for the sisters until police arrested a trusted assistant to Linda Stein. Natavia Lowry allegedly confessed to clubbing Linda Stein to death after the sometime acerbic real estate agent supposedly insulted her.
Lowry, however, has since recanted the confession claiming she was intimidated by detectives. Her lawyer, Ron Kuby, filed a motion to suppress her statement because it was made after an all-night interrogation done without her attorney present.
Kuby insists his client is innocent and says the confession is worthless.
"It's almost a shame," he said "that they gave up after 13 hours because if they questioned her a little bit longer she could've disclosed the hiding place of Osama Bin Laden or anything else they wanted."
The Manhattan District Attorney reportedly has circumstantial evidence of financial irregularities that would provide a motive for the killing, but the confession could be crucial. A hearing is scheduled for March 12.
Linda Stein's daughters, meanwhile, wouldn't talk about the upcoming legal maneuvers. As the music played and the guests began arriving they stayed focused on the victim who was known for her love of high-decibel socializing.
"I've got a picture of my mother in my purse and I'm going to keep it with me. She's with us. She's ready to party with us," Wells said.
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