A third man has been arrested in connection with the death of a Connecticut man in Manhattan last month.
Max Gemma, 29, of Oceanport, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with hindering the prosecution and tampering with physical evidence on Tuesday, police said.
The charges stem from the murder of Joseph Comunale, who was found buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport on Nov. 16, 2016, after being reported missing days earlier. Comunale had been stabbed 15 times and there was evidence to suggest an attempt was made to set his body on fire, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.
Comunale was last seen alive on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, while attending a party at The Grand Sutton on East 59th Street, police said.
After police discovered blood spattered in the apartment building and bloody clothing in the vicinity, the missing person’s case became a criminal investigation, Boyce said.
A resident of the building provided information that led NYPD detectives 60 miles south to Oceanport, officials said.
Two men were charged with Comunale’s murder shortly after his body was found last month.
James Rackover, 25, of Manhattan, and Lawrence Dilione, 28, of Jersey City, are charged with second-degree murder as well as concealment of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Dilione is also charged with hindering the prosecution.
With Anthony M. DeStefano
