One of New York City’s great crime columnists, Leonard Levitt, died on Monday at the age of 79.
Levitt succumbed to a two-year battle with cancer at his Stamford, CT home, according to the New York Daily News.
The award-winning writer penned regular columns for amNewYork up until October of last year, and spent many years with Newsday. For 10 years, between 1995 and 2005, he wrote a column for the paper titled “One Police Plaza,” which focused on activities and policies at the NYPD.
After 2005, he created the NYPD Confidential blog, which offered his loyal readers “an inside look at the Police Department.” Levitt wrote six books, including “Conviction: Solving the Moxley Murder,” which won the Edgar Award for non-fiction in 2005.
During his career, Levitt had stints with the Associated Press, the Detroit News and Time Magazine. He also had a run as the New York Post’s investigations editor.
Levitt is survived by his wife, Susan, their two children, and a grandchild.
