Scene Of Upper East Side Party Murder For Rent, Report Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side apartment where a grisly 2016 murder occurred has been remodeled and put back up for rent, the New York Post first reported. The pad once belonged to accused killer James Rackover — surrogate son to jeweler-to-the-stars Jeffrey Rackover — and is asking $3,800 a month, according to the report.

The apartment is located in the posh Grand Sutton tower — located on located on East 59th Street near First Avenue — and is believed to be where 26-year-old Joseph Comunale was brutally stabbed to death before being buried in a shallow grave in New Jersey.

But prospective tenants won't find any trace of the killing upon viewing the apartment, the Post reported. The bathtub where Comunale's bloody body was stored has been replaced by a standing shower and the hardwood floors in the living room and bedroom have been refinished.

When asked about the renovations, and the murder, the unit's owner told the Post: "I wanted to redo my apartment. It was my decision."

Rackover, 25, and his friend Lawrence Dilione, 28, are facing second-degree murder charges for the death of Comunale, prosecutors told Patch. Rackover and Dilione were also charged with hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and the concealment of a human corpse, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

A third man, Max Gemma, 29, is facing charges for hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence, but was not charged with murder, prosecutors said.

Comunale's body was dug up from a shallow grave in a remote, wooded area of Oceanport, New Jersey, on November 16, 2016. The Stamford Conn. native, reported missing days before he was found, suffered at least 15 stab wounds, a broken pelvis and evidence indicated that someone attempted to burn his body, according to police and the DA's office. A large duffel bag was discovered near the burial site, prosecutors said.

Soon after Comunale's body was found, investigators determined that he was last seen alive partying in Rackover's Upper East Side apartment. Dilione met Comunale and Gemma 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 place.

Read the New York Post's full article here.

Photo of James Rackover by Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press