Celebrity Jeweler’s Son Is Questioned in Killing of Man Who Vanished in N.Y.C.: Reports
A man connected to a New York City celebrity jeweler has been arrested and charged with murder after a missing Connecticut man was found stabbed to death in a shallow grave in New Jersey, PEOPLE confirms.
On
Thursday, 25-year-old James Rackover was charged with second-degree
murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical
evidence in the death of Joey Comunale, 26, a New York Police Department
spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
Lawrence
Dilione, 28, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was also arrested Thursday on
the same charges, according to the NYPD. He was additionally charged
with hindering prosecution in the first degree.
It
was not immediately clear if either man has entered a plea. Though they
have reportedly both hired attorneys, neither could not immediately be
reached.
The arrests come a day after Comunale’s body was found dumped in Oceanport, New Jersey.
Police in Stamford, Connecticut, said Wednesday that Comunale had gone to New York City with friends on Saturday night and separated from them at some point, according to NBC New York.
Later
on, Comunale attended a party at the Grand Sutton, a luxury apartment
building in Manhattan, the NYPD spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
The Hofstra University grad was headed to Rackover’s apartment in the building, Patch reports. He was last seen entering the building at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the NYPD.
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Rackover has been linked in media reports to jeweler-to-the-stars Jeffrey Rackover, who has worked with celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Oprah.
The exact nature of their relationship is unclear, but multiple outlets
report the men live in the building where Comunale attended his party.
(The Rackovers could not immediately be reached for comment.)
An
NYPD spokesperson told Patch that police obtained a search warrant to
enter James’ home, where they found evidence relating to Comunale’s
disappearance.
Witnesses
reportedly saw a man dragging a heavy piece of luggage out of the
building, CBS News reports. Later, police found a luggage rack covered
in blood, according to CBS.
Investigators
say they believe Comunale was involved in a fight at a party in one of
the apartments and then stabbed, NBC reports.
“We
uncovered a substantial amount of blood evidence inside the building,”
NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a Wednesday news
conference. “Plastic bags that were downstairs through the garbage
chute, in that room, his clothing with a substantial amount of blood,
some sheets, some towels.”
Police said Comunale’s body was stuffed in a suitcase and then dumped in a shallow grave in Oceanport according to WPIX.
Comunale
has been described as “an amazing hockey player and teammate from an
incredibly close and loving family.” His father, Pat, shed tears as he
spoke to reporters Wednesday about his son’s death. (The family declined
to comment to PEOPLE.)
“He
touched everybody. Everybody that came in contact with this kid loved
him,” Pat said, according to WPIX. “He was one of a kind. He didn’t
deserve this. He didn’t go looking for trouble.”
• With CHAR ADAMS
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