An East Meadow man has been indicted for allegedly choking his domestic partner to death three years ago.
On August 8, 2022, shortly after 6:00 a.m., Georgios Boultadakis, a former Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department employee, called 911 to report that he found John Melnikoff, Jr. passed out at the foot of the basement stairs of their Huntington Station home and was not moving or breathing. The 911 operator who took his call instructed Boultadakis on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Based on Boultadakis’ statements and actions during the call, the operator believed that CPR was being performed. When police arrived at the scene, Melnikoff was pronounced dead.
Based on the initial scene investigation, the lack of evidence of a struggle, and no obvious signs of foul play, the matter was initially treated as an unattended death investigation.
On August 10, 2022, an autopsy determined that Melnikoff suffered fractures to the hyoid bone and left horn of the thyroid cartilage, as well as soft tissue hemorrhaging. The findings turned the case into a homicide investigation, with the cause of death determined to be due to neck compression.
On March 3, 2025, after an extensive investigation, Boultadakis was arrested. On March 26, 2025, he was arraigned on March 26, 2025 on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony. Mazzei ordered Boultadakis remanded during the pendency of the case.
“The indictment here charges the tragic and brutal murder of a domestic partner,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We are committed to ensuring that the victim’s voice is heard, standing firm against domestic violence and advocating for the safety of all citizens.”
Boultadakis is due back in court on April 16, 2025, and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count.