Man Indicted After Killing Behind Huntington Station Deli; Tried To Flee: DA

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — A 27-year-old man was indicted on murder charges after prosecutors say he fatally shot a Huntington Station man behind a deli in broad daylight and then fled the state, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Carlos Castro was indicted for second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the DA said.

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Prosecutors say Castro shot and killed Steven Rocco, 43, of Huntington Station, behind One Stop Deli on West Pulaski Road on April 20.

According to the investigation, the shooting occurred around 4:11 p.m. when Castro and Rocco got into an argument behind the deli. An eyewitness briefly separated the two men, but moments later, Castro approached Rocco with a handgun and shot him once, killing him, prosecutors said.

The incident was captured on nearby video surveillance, the DA said.

After the shooting, Castro fled on foot, changed his phone number the next day, and obtained approximately $3,000 from friends and family to flee the country, prosecutors said. He hired a driver to take him to Texas, the DA said.

With assistance from the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, Castro was arrested in Alabama on April 23 and extradited back to New York on May 4, prosecutors said.

Castro was arraigned on May 5 before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, who ordered him remanded during the pendency of the case.

He is due back in court on June 15 and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top charge, the DA said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against Castro, who is a Honduran national, authorities said.

Castro is represented by attorney Ian Fitzgerald. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This defendant allegedly took Steven Rocco’s life in a senseless shooting captured on video surveillance,” Tierney said. “Thanks to the dedicated work of the Suffolk County Police Department and the United States Marshals Service, the defendant was arrested in Alabama and extradited back to Suffolk County, where we will vigorously prosecute him for these serious charges.”