A man from Ridge, New York has entered a guilty plea for the deadly shooting of his ex-girlfriend over a financial dispute. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced yesterday that James Quininchetta, 41, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and additional weapons charges in connection with the June 2025 killing of Rebecca Roth, 33.
"This defendant chose to respond to a perceived financial dispute with irreversible brutality, and now he will be held accountable for his crime," Tierney said in a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office statement. Roth's family continues to grieve her loss, which has created a void that cannot be filled. Quininchetta's admission to the court on Friday, confirms the details of the crime where he fired at Roth while she was in her vehicle, resulting in her death.
The shooting took place early in the morning on June 6, 2025, after Quininchetta went to Roth's apartment complex in Moriches to allegedly collect money he believed she owed him. According to court documents, he used a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, shooting Roth seven times. Suffolk County Police detectives soon took Quininchetta into custody, aided by forensic evidence, including the handgun and ammunition found at the scene.
Quininchetta is slated for a March 11 sentencing, with the expectation to receive 23 years to life imprisonment. "On January 29, 2026, Quininchetta 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," reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. His defense is provided by George Duncan, Esq., while Assistant District Attorney Eric S. Aboulafia leads the prosecution with the investigation carried out by Suffolk County Police Department's Homicide Squad.
