A Honduran national was indicted for allegedly shooting a man to death behind a Huntington Station deli in broad daylight.
On April 20 at approximately 4:11 p.m., Carlos Castro was allegedly behind the One Stop Deli when he got into an argument with Steven Rocco, 43, of Huntington Station. An eyewitness intervened and briefly separated the two men. Moments later, Castro allegedly approached Rocco with a handgun and shot him once, killing him, and then fled on foot. The entire incident was caught on nearby video surveillance.
The following day, Castro allegedly changed his phone number, obtained approximately $3,000 from friends and family in order to flee the country, and hired a driver to take him to Texas.
With the assistance of the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, Castro was arrested on April 23 and extradited back to New York on May 4.
On May 5, Castro, 27, was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C felony.
“This defendant allegedly took Steven Rocco’s life in a senseless shooting captured on video surveillance,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Thanks to the dedicated work of the Suffolk County Police Department and the United States Marshals Service, the defendant was arrested in Alabama and extradited back to Suffolk County, where we will vigorously prosecute him for these serious charges.”
Mazzei ordered Castro remanded during the pendency of the case. Castro is due back in court on June 15 and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top count.
The United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has lodged a detainer to deport Castro following this prosecution.