Comunale Homicide: Third Suspect Charged

STAMFORD, CT—A third man has been charged in connection with the homicide of Joseph Comunale in Manhattan.

Max Gemma, 29, of Oceanport, N.J. was charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence Tuesday, according to the NYPD.

James Rackover and Lawrence Dillione have also been charged in connection with the homicide. No one has been charged with murder as of Tuesday afternoon.

Dilione met Comunale, of Stamford, Conn., while out partying the night of Saturday, Nov. 12 and brought him and three other women to a 4 a.m. party at Rackover's condo in the glitzy Grand Sutton tower — located on located on East 59th Street near First Avenue.

Comunale's body was dug Wednesday from a shallow grave in a remote, wooded area of Oceanport, N.J. His body had at least 15 stab wounds, a broken pelvis and burn marks, according to police and the DA's office.

The wounds suggested that Comunale was killed with a knife and that his body had been dropped from a high distance. A large duffel bag was discovered near the burial site, according to the DA's office.

One of the suspects, Dilione, admitted to police that he and another man took Comunale's body to New Jersey. Dilione's LinkedIn profile lists him as the owner of Shore Point Roofing, a business located in the next town over from Oceanport.

"We took Joey's body to Oceanport, N.J. and we buried it in a vacant lot," Dilione allegedly told investigators.

Evidence unearthed by police suggests a 2015 Mercedes Benz licensed to Jeffrey Rackover was used to transport the body. James Rackover was seen loading a large duffle bag into the vehicle in the late evening of Sunday, Nov. 13, according to a criminal complaint.

Related:

• Hundreds Attend Joseph Comunale Funeral Service
• Rackover Indicted by Grand Jury in Comunale Homicide Case
• 'We Took Joey's Body to Oceanport, N.J.': Man Accused of Murdering Connecticut Man

Additional reporting by Brian McCready Patch National Staff