The Long Island man who fatally stabbed a CVS worker on Christmas Day was $25,000 in debt and trying to rob the store, authorities said Wednesday.
John Pilaccio, a 43-year-old Lindenhurst man, was indicted on an upgraded charge of first-degree murder, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Pilaccio is accused of killing 23-year-old cashier Edeedson Cine Jr. at the store in Lindenhurst. On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed Cine was not supposed to work Christmas Day but was called in to help, according to WABC.
Investigators said Pilaccio entered the store, took a lap, picked up a drink and then approached Cine at the register and tried to rob the store, WNBC reported. When Cine refused to hand over any cash, Pilaccio reached over the counter and stabbed him to death with strikes to the chest and head, police said.
Prosecutors said Pilaccio needed the cash because he had $25,000 in credit card debt, according to Newsday. He gave a videotaped confession to police officers, authorities said.
Under New York law, a charge of first-degree murder requires a second intentional crime, which authorities said was Pilaccio’s intention to rob the store.
Cops also said Pilaccio has a lengthy criminal history, including a previous conviction for beating a man with a tire iron over $50, Newsday reported. He was imprisoned from 2006 to 2015 for that assault.
“While families in our community were celebrating Christmas, one family suffered an unimaginable loss,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “This senseless tragedy should have never happened.”
