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A New York man who brutally murdered a Connecticut man and then buried his body in a makeshift grave in Monmouth County, was convicted on Friday of second degree murder and other charges, officials said. officials.
James Rackover, 27, was also convicted by the Manhattan jury of the murder of Joseph Comunale, 26, of Stamford, Connecticut, in 2016. He also prevented the prosecution and concealment of a body human, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr..
"Adored by his friends and family, Mr. Comunale had a bright future ahead of him when his life was tragically interrupted," Vance said in a statement. "He was murdered in cold blood in a crime of excessive violence, his body was mutilated, thrown through a fourth-floor window and abandoned behind a florist shop in New Jersey."
Comunale received 15 stab wounds on November 13 in the Rackover East 59th Street apartment following a party also attended by Lawrence Dilione, 28, of Jersey City and Max Gemma, 30, of Oceanport, announced the authorities.
The two men also face charges related to the incident, including a charge of second degree murder for Dilione.
Around 9:45 pm That night, Rackover and Dilione drove the burned-out Comunale Corps into a field behind a florist on Monmouth Boulevard in Oceanport. Investigators said.
A petition filed on behalf of Gemma, who is the son of former Oceanport mayor Gordon Gemma, said in January that Dilione, a former resident of Oceanport, had admitted to investigators that he had knocked out Comunale after an argument on cigarettes, the New York Post reported.
Dilione told the investigators that Rackover had then violently beaten and defeated the defenseless Comunale. After realizing that Comunale had been seriously injured and feared to be arrested, the motion said, Rackover said, "We must kill him," according to the report.
Rackover is expected to be sentenced on December 5, according to a statement from the district attorney's office.
The charges against Dilione and Gemma were still pending Friday, said Vance.
Dilione was charged with second degree murder, obstruction of prosecution, falsification of material evidence and three counts of concealment of a human corpse.
Gemma has been accused of interfering with the prosecution and handling material evidence.
Dilione's trial was scheduled for January 14 and Gemma's hearing date was February 25, reported Asbury Park Press.
Chris Sheldon can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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