In a Suffolk County courtroom, James Quininchetta, 41, admitted to the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Roth, 33, in an act that District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney described as a "respond to a perceived financial dispute with irreversible brutality." The tragedy occurred in Moriches on June 6, 2025, where Quininchetta fired upon Roth while she sat in her parked vehicle at her apartment complex, as reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office press release, the deadly altercation was believed to be over a financial debt. Quininchetta, armed with a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, shot Roth seven times. Forensics later determined the multiple gunshot wounds to her torso, were the cause of her untimely death. In the aftermath, Suffolk County Police Department officers found the handgun in a nearby parking lot, along with ammunition packaging, and spent shell casings.
Following a pursuit for justice, Quininchetta was apprehended a day after the murder, on June 7. He's agreed to a guilty plea for one count of Murder in the Second Degree, as well as two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei. District Attorney Tierney asserted, "Our thoughts remain with Rebecca Roth's loved ones who continue to live with the pain of her absence every day," as per the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Quininchetta now awaits his sentencing on March 11; expectations land at 23 years to life behind bars. His counsel, George Duncan, Esq., will represent him through these final proceedings. Assistant District Attorney Eric S. Aboulafia leads the prosecution side, backed by key investigations from detectives of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
