Yorktown Man Shot to Death in the Basement of his Home

A 43-year-old Yorktown resident was discovered shot to death in his basement. 

The body of Piotr Seweryn was discovered by his wife Krystyna at their residence at 3210 Poplar Street at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15. 

Police are currently investigating the cause, and are calling his suspicious death a homicide at this time. 

Yorktown police spokesman Lt. Kevin Soravilla said there was no sign of a forced entry at the Seweryn home. Soravilla said it appears the killer had a personal motive, and the incident was not a random home invasion or a burglary turned violent. 

"We are pretty sure this is no random act of violence," he said.

Police could not comment if there were any suspects in the case. The man's wife was at work and their two teenage children were at school when the murder took place. Their 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter are students of the Lakeland School District. 

All day, police officers were standing outside the suburban home along Poplar Street, and were asking people in the quiet neighborhood if they knew anything about the case. They reassured residents the killing was not random, but rather the victim was targeted.

"It does not appear to be a suicide," Police Chief Daniel McMahon said.

Police said previous to this murder, there have been two other homicides in town in the past 35 years. The most recent being a young man stabbing his father by the St. Patrick's church with a knife after an argument 17 years ago. In the other one, a man was shot near the Roma building in town. 

Police could not release information about where the man was shot and how many times. Police could not yet comment on how long the man was dead before his body was discovered, but the murder most likely occurred between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. when his wife and children left the house. 

Seweryn operated, Autocure, Inc., a used car dealership business from his home. Earlier this afternoon, police took away the vehicles parked at his home as part of the investigation.

Yorktown police, Westchester County Department of Pubic Safety, the Westchester District Attorney's Office and the Westchester Medical Examiner are conducting the investigation, police said. An autopsy was performed this morning, but the results have not been disclosed. 

Anyone with information can anonymously call the Yorktown Police Department with tips at 914-962-TIPS (914-962-8477).