2 Arrested for Robbery, Murder of Ryan Ennis in Ossining

Ossining Police Chief Joseph Burton, Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and George Venizelos of the FBI New York Field Office announced the arrest of Anthony Grecco and Andrea Beatty for the fatal robbery of Ryan Ennis.

Ennis, 26, was found dead Aug. 27 in his father’s apartment at Audubon Manor on Wolden Road.

Investigators began tracking text messages between Ennis and Grecco about a drug transaction to take place Aug. 26.

Grecco told investigators in September that he had gone to New York in August to rob Ennis, and that the robbery had not gone according to plan.

On Oct. 22 Beatty told police she went with Grecco and another man to rob Ennis, whom Grecco said owed him money for drugs. She described the apartment complex where she drove Grecco to commit the robbery and led officers to the apartment where Ennis was found dead. She told police she and Grecco went back to New Jersey and he handed her a stack of money to count while he took a shower and then asked how to dispose of his clothes.

The money totaled $8,900.

Officials released details of the murder for the first time. There was a large wound to the left side of Ennis’s neck, a large wound to the back of Ennis’s head, and additional wounds on his abdomen and upper left arm.

According to Beatty, Grecco said when he got back in the car that the robbery hadn’t gon according to plan and also that “it” was easier than he would have thought.

“I would like to thank all of the agencies that helped us continue our investigation across state lines, especially the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County Police Forensic Investigation Unit, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and all of our counterparts in New Jersey,“ Burton said in a written statement. “ I am especially proud of Detective Lieutenant William Sullivan for his leadership and the members of the Ossining Police Department Detective Division for their dedication and perseverance. Their determination and tenacious approach were critical in apprehending these suspects. This was a total team effort involving 10 law enforcement agencies from New York and New Jersey, all working together as a team, which resulted in the timely arrest of these two defendants. Hopefully this will give some closure to the victim’s family.”

Here’s the full statement:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Joseph Burton, Jr., the Chief of Police of the Village of Ossining Police Department, announced the filing of a federal criminal Complaint charging ANTHONY GRECCO, 33, of Manville, New Jersey, and ANDREA BEATTY, 27, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, in connection with the fatal robbery of Ryan Ennis of Ossining, New York. BEATTY was arrested this morning and is expected to be presented later today in White Plains federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy. GRECCO is currently detained at the Somerset County Jail in Somerville, New Jersey. It is expected that he will be presented in White Plains federal court later this week. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “As alleged in the Complaint, the defendants carried out a violent robbery that resulted in a brutal death. Thanks to the dogged investigative work of the FBI and the extraordinary dedication of our local partners, the defendants will have to answers for their crimes. I particularly want to thank District Attorney Janet DiFiore and her team at the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance with this investigation.”Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos stated: “This murder was as violent as it was gruesome and is the most recent example of the violence drugs can cause. The impressive cooperation between the Ossining Police Department, Westchester District Attorney and federal law enforcement made today’s arrest a reality.” Chief Joseph Burton, Jr. of the Village of Ossining Police Department stated: Chief Joseph Burton, Jr. of the Village of Ossining Police Department stated: “I would like to thank all of the agencies that helped us continue our investigation across state lines, especially the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Westchester County Police Forensic Investigation Unit, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and all of our counterparts in New Jersey. I am especially proud of Detective Lieutenant William Sullivan for his leadership and the members of the Ossining Police Department Detective Division for their dedication and perseverance. Their determination and tenacious approach were critical in apprehending these suspects. This was a total team effort involving 10 law enforcement agencies from New York and New Jersey, all working together as a team, which resulted in the timely arrest of these two defendants. Hopefully this will give some closure to the victim’s family.”According to allegations in the Complaint:On August 27, 2014, shortly after 9:00 p.m., Ryan Ennis was found dead in an apartment in Ossining, New York. An autopsy was performed, and Ennis’s death was ruled a homicide. There was a large wound to the left side of Ennis’s neck, a large wound to the back of Ennis’s head, and additional wounds on his abdomen and upper left arm. The medical examiner determined that Ennis had been killed between 18 and 36 hours earlier.The account history for Ennis’s cellphone shows that on August 26, 2014, between the hours of 9:37 a.m. and 7:28 p.m., there were 35 text messages between Ennis’s cellphone and a cellphone identified as belonging to GRECCO. The text messages discuss a drug transaction between Ennis and GRECCO scheduled to take place after 4:00 p.m. on August 26.After the 7:28 p.m. message between Ennis and GRECCO on August 26, no other text messages were received by, or transmitted from Ennis’s cellphone. There was an incoming call to Ennis’s cellphone at 7:36 p.m. from GRECCO’s phone. Cellphone data shows that at the time of the 7:36 p.m. call, GRECCO’s phone was located in the vicinity of Croton Avenue, at the intersection of Routes 9 and 133, approximately half a mile from the apartment where Ennis was found dead.On September 23, 2014, law enforcement officers interviewed GRECCO in Manville, New Jersey. During the interview, GRECCO admitted that in August he traveled to New York with another person for the purposes of robbing Ennis, to whom GRECCO had sold marijuana in the past, and that the robbery had not gone according to plan.On October 22, 2014, law enforcement officers interviewed BEATTY in Ossining, New York. BEATTY admitted that in August 2014, she went to New York with GRECCO and another man for the purpose of committing a robbery. BEATTY knew before she made the trip that GRECCO intended to rob a man who owed him money in connection with drugs. BEATTY described the apartment complex where she drove GRECCO to commit the robbery and led officers to the apartment where Ennis was found dead. BEATTY recalled that when GRECCO came back to her car after going into the apartment building to commit the robbery, he appeared flustered and said that the robbery had not proceeded according to plan. GRECCO also said, in effect, that “it” had been easier than he thought it would have been. After they left the apartment complex, BEATTY drove GRECCO to a rooming house in New Jersey. Inside of the rooming house, GRECCO handed BEATTY a stack of money. She later counted it and found that it totaled $8900. GRECCO used the rooming house bathroom to shower. When he came out of the bathroom, he was carrying a garbage bag with clothing in it. GRECCO asked BEATTY if she knew where he could dispose of the clothing.* * *The Complaint charges GRECCO and BEATTY each with one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. If convicted of the two offenses charged in the Complaint, GRECCO and BEATTY each face a combined maximum prison term of 40 years. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the Ossining Police Department and the FBI’s Westchester County Violent Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the FBI, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and the City of Yonkers Police Department. Mr. Bharara also thanked the following agencies for their assistance with the investigation: the FBI’s Newark Division; the Manville, New Jersey Police Department; the New Brunswick, New Jersey Police Department; the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office; and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Gerber and Scott Hartman are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.