Timeline surrounding the death of Joseph Comunale

(All times and information taken from court documents and NYPD police report) Saturday - Nov. 12 Joseph Comunale and friends travel from Stamford, Connecticut to New York City to go out to a club

News 12 Staff

Nov 19, 2016, 7:31 AM

Updated 2,714 days ago

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Timeline surrounding the death of Joseph Comunale
(All times and information taken from court documents and NYPD police report)
Joseph Comunale and friends travel from Stamford, Connecticut to New York City to go out to a club for the night.
Early morning hours - Comunale leaves his friends and goes with three women to attend a party at an apartment located at 418 East 59th Street, an apartment belonging to suspect James Rackover.
6:50 a.m. - Comunale, three women and suspect Lawrence Dilione leave the building.
Short time later - Comunale and Dilione seen going back into the apartment. Surveillance shows Comunale and Dilione in an elevator. Comunale is never seen inside the apartment or leaving the apartment again.
Evening hours - Rackover seen leaving the apartment and placed a large duffle bag into the trunk of a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows. Mercedes is registered to famed jeweler Jeffery Rackover, James' informally adoptive father.
9:45 p.m. - Mercedes is seen leaving New York City via the Holland Tunnel.
3:00 a.m. - Mercedes is seen traveling back through the Holland Tunnel into New York City.
3:15 a.m. - Mercedes parks at the iPark garage located at 425 East 58th Street. Rackover is seen on surveillance leaving the car.
Morning hours - Comunale reported missing by father. The NYPD goes to 418 East 59th Street. Comunale is not there.
Dilione is interviewed by police. Allegedly tells Detective Raymond Reuther "I know James [Rackover]. He lives in Apt. ___ of 418 East 59th Street. I went with Joey [Comunale] to a party that James threw in his apartment ___ on November 13, 2016. We took Joey's body to Oceanport, New Jersey and we buried it in a vacant lot."
Dilione allegedly shows police where to find Comunale's body on a map.
Police cadaver dogs are brought in. They detect the smell of a human cadaver or human bodily fluids inside the Mercedes registered to Jeffery Rackover. Dogs also detect scent inside Rackover's apartment. Blood is also found in various areas of the apartment.
Body matching Comunale's description found buried in wooded area in Oceanport.
Middlesex County medical examiner performs an autopsy. The medical examiner determines that the cause of death was multiple stab wounds. The death is ruled a homicide.
Dilion and Rackover are charged by NYPD with murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence
Late Thursday night at the arraignment, the New York Distract Attorney only files charges on concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Does not file murder charges.


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