Father of Murdered Hofstra Grad Speaks Out

The father of a 26-year-old Hofstra University graduate who was found dead in New Jersey said his son touched everybody he came into contact with and loved him.

Joseph "Joey" Comunale, 26, was last seen over the weekend at the Grand Sutton on East 59th Street and First Avenue, according to the New York Daily News. His father Pat Comunale reported him missing.

Pat Comunale said his son didn't deserve to be killed and wasn't looking for trouble, according to Fox 61.

Joey Comunale, of Stamford, Connecticut, went to 518 E. 59th St. with people he met in the early Sunday morning hours. He had been in Greenwich Village previously, according to the NYPD.

Comunale was reportedly partying with two men and three women at the apartment of 25-year-old finance kid James Rackover, 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.

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

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's 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's body was found in Oceanport in Monmouth County, New Jersey, according to NBC Connecticut. The body was found in a wooded area behind a former police department that relocated after Hurricane Sandy.

Others have been questioned in the case, and at least one person was uncooperative, according to the Daily News.

Comunale was a sales associate at Tri-Ed Ltd., a company that sells security devices such as CCTV cameras.

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.

Reporting by Rich Scinto and Brendan Krisel

Image of the Grand Sutton via Google Maps