A late-night argument behind a Huntington Station deli has now turned into a murder case, with prosecutors saying the entire confrontation was caught on camera.
Authorities announced Tuesday that a 27-year-old man was indicted in the April 20 fatal shooting of Huntington Station resident Steven Rocco, 43. Prosecutors say Rocco was shot once behind the One Stop Deli on West Pulaski Road. The suspect, Carlos Castro, was arrested out of state and brought back to Suffolk County this week to face second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges that could mean decades behind bars if he is convicted.
DA files indictment, calls shooting senseless
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Castro was indicted on Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. District Attorney Raymond Tierney said, "This defendant allegedly took Steven Rocco’s life in a senseless shooting captured on video surveillance." The office identified Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty as the prosecutor assigned to the case.
Surveillance shows argument before the shot
The confrontation, which prosecutors say began as an argument, was captured on nearby video, as reported by News 12 Long Island. Prosecutors say an eyewitness briefly stepped in and separated the men, but Castro allegedly returned moments later and fired a single shot that killed Rocco. They say the surveillance footage is central to the case they plan to present in court.
Fugitive arrest in Alabama after alleged flight attempt
Prosecutors and local reporting say Castro ran off on foot after the shooting, changed his phone number and obtained roughly $3,000 from friends and family in what they describe as an apparent plan to leave the country, according to Patch. He reportedly hired a driver to take him toward Texas, but was tracked down and arrested in Alabama on April 23 with help from the U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force. Authorities extradited him back to New York on May 4 to face the indictment.
Court timeline and immigration detainer
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says Castro was arraigned on May 5 before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei and ordered remanded while the case is pending. He is due back in court on June 15 and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. The office added that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking to deport Castro following the criminal case.
Castro is represented by attorney Ian Fitzgerald, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, as reported by Patch. Investigators with the Suffolk County Police Department's Homicide Squad, along with prosecutors, are continuing to review evidence as the case moves toward trial.
