The final defendant in the plotted home invasion and murder of Gerardo Antoniello— the 29-year-old son of a Cross Bay Boulevard pizzeria owner— is guilty.
On April 2, a jury convicted Francis LaCorte of Ozone Park for the shooting death that started with an armed robbery at the home of Bartolomeo Antoniello, who owned Romeo’s Pizza on Cross Bay Boulevard, LaCorte was part of a four-man crew that geared up to rob homes between August and September 2009, until they were caught after Gerardo’s untimely death.
After a three-week trial, LaCorte is faced with up to 75 years to life in prison for second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery, first degree attempted burglary, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and fourth-degree conspiracy.
He will be sentenced on April 16.
“Under the circumstances, the defendant has forfeited his future and can expect to spend most, if not all, of the rest of his life behind bars,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The charges stem from Sept. 9, 2009, when armed robbers forced their way into the Antoniello home after one of them struck Bartolomeo in the back of the head with a gun.
Gerardo tried to defend his father, but the robbers shot him in the back of the head and fled the home emptyhanded. Gerardo died soon after from his injuries, and his father died of cancer in March 2010.
Vincent Mineo, 29, of Ozone Park, was convicted last month for his part of the crime.
According to the Queens District Attorney, he, LaCorte and others schemed to rob the Bartolomeo’s home between Sept. 5 and Sept. 9, 2009. LaCorte and Mineo doled out supplies, including duct tape and loaded guns, as part of the plot.
The gang also robbed two other homes between August and September of 2009. In those instances, residents were restrained with the duct tape and stripped of valuables at gunpoint, the DA said.
The three other defendents in the crimes, Mineo; Jason Burrell, 39 of Brooklyn; and Rashod Cowan, 32 of the Bronx; previously pleaded guilty.
Mineo took 20 years in prison for first-degree attempted robbery, first degree burglary and fourth-degree conspiracy.
Burrell and Cowan are awaiting sentencing for first-degree burglary and first-degree attempted robbery.
By Jeremiah Dobruck
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
