A Ridge man pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his former girlfriend over a perceived financial debt.
On June 6, 2025, at approximately 12:30 a.m., James Quininchetta went to Rebecca Roth’s apartment complex in Moriches to attempt to collect money from the victim. Quininchetta fired a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun seven times at Roth, 33, while she was inside her parked vehicle, before he fled the scene. A forensic examination revealed the victim had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to her torso, causing her death.
After members of the Suffolk County Police Department arrived at the scene, they recovered the handgun in a nearby parking lot, as well as ammunition packaging and spent shell casings. A K-9 unit also located a fanny pack containing ammunition in a wooded area.
Quininchetta was arrested the next day, June 7, 2025.
On January 29, 2026, Quininchetta, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Class C felonies, before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei.
Quininchetta is due back in court for sentencing on March 11, 2026, where he is expected to be sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.
“This defendant chose to respond to a perceived financial dispute with irreversible brutality, and now he will be held accountable for his crime,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Our thoughts remain with Rebecca Roth’s loved ones who continue to live with the pain of her absence every day.”