Hicksville Waiter Convicted Of Manslaughter In Busboy's Stabbing Death

MINEOLA, NY — A waiter at a Hicksville restaurant was convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 stabbing death of a co-worker, Nassau County District Anne Donnelly announced.

The jury delivered its verdict on Tuesday on its second day of deliberations.

David Jimenez Salazar, 25, of Farmingdale, faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced March 16, prosecutors said.

Salazar was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of a busboy after the two workers argued about tips.

"Thirty-seven-year-old Elvin Padilla called out sick on July 16, 2020, but after learning of a staff shortage, the dedicated employee took the shift – it would be the last he would ever work," Donnelly said. "That evening, the defendant shorted Padilla $20 in tips he was owed, and an argument broke out between the men that would end Elvin Padilla’s life. In a rage, the defendant plunged a broken bottle into the victim’s neck leaving the father of two to die on the floor of the restaurant."

The deadly encounter happened on the evening of July 16, 2020 at the La Candela Restaurant.