Joseph Comunale Murder: Cops Raid Upper East Side Condo, Arrest Star Jeweler's Son

UPDATE, Nov. 17, 3 p.m.: James Rackover and an alleged accomplice have been charged with the murder of Joseph Comunale.

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The luxury Grand Sutton condo tower on the Upper East Side lies at the center of an unraveling investigation into the murder of Joseph Comunale, a handsome 26-year-old from Connecticut who went missing Saturday night and whose body was discovered Wednesday in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey.

Comunale was last seen over the weekend at the Grand Sutton, located on East 59th Street near First Avenue.

At the time he was spotted, Comunale was reportedly partying with two men and three women at the apartment of 25-year-old finance kid James Rackover, who was like a son of Manhattan jeweler-to-the-stars Jeffrey Rackover — the same Manhattan jeweler-to-the-stars, it turns out, who helped Donald Trump pick out an engagement ring for Melania.

On Thursday Comunale's father said that his son "Joey" touched the hearts of everyone he met and that he didn't deserve to be killed.

"He was one of a kind. He didn't deserve this, he didn't go looking for trouble," Pat Comunale told Fox 61.

"We're in denial," Comunale told the news station. "All I have left is his friends."

(A photo posted to this Hamptons socialite blog appears to show the father and son partying together a couple summers ago.)

Comunale reportedly met Rackover's other party guests while clubbing in Manhattan earlier Saturday night. They arrived at the Grand Sutton around 4 a.m., according to the New York Daily News.

The NYPD flashed the younger Rackover a search warrant Wednesday and entered his apartment, where they found evidence of foul play relating to Comunale's disappearance and death, an NYPD spokesman told Patch.

Earlier in the investigation, police had discovered bloody sheets and what they believed to be Comunale's pants in a garbage bag outside the building, the Daily News reported.

After Rackover'a party guests left the building Sunday, he reportedly started acting super shady.

Around 6:30 p.m., Rackover called the front desk to ask for a luggage cart, according to the Daily News. He was later seen using the cart to roll two suitcases out of the building.

Police took Rackover into custody at his apartment Wednesday and are holding him on an unrelated charge of "aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle," according to the NYPD.

Sources told the Daily News that Rackover hired a lawyer Wednesday while being questioned by police.

Jeffrey Rackover, James' father, owns Jeffrey Rackover Diamonds, a Midtown-based jewelry store frequented by the city's A-list. A 2008 article in Haute Living identified him as Oprah's “go-to guy” for jewelry.

The same article said the elder Rackover helped Trump pick out a diamond ring for his then-girlfriend, Melania.

"When proposing to his current wife, Melania, Donald Trump went directly to Rackover, due to his impeccable reputation amongst the rich and famous and his dedicated passion for diamonds," the article said.

Comunale lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and graduated from Hofstra University on Long Island. He was reported missing by his father.

The NYPD is one of three law-enforcement agencies involved in the investigation into Comunale's death. An NYPD spokesman told Patch that as of Wednesday, it's still unclear which agency will take the lead role in the case.

In its online listing, the Grand Sutton is described as "an intimate building" with all the classic Upper East Side amenities: a doorman, concierge, courtyard garden, gym, etc. Condos in the building currently sell for around $2 million and rent for around $6,000 per month.

Image of the Grand Sutton via Google Maps