Lindenhurst Man Indicted On 1st-Degree Murder Charge In Christmas Day CVS Killing 'Did It For The Money': DA

LINDENHURST, NY — A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted a Lindenhurst man on an upgraded charge of first-degree murder in the Christmas Day stabbing death of CVS employee Edeedson “Eddy” Ciné Jr., a case that prosecutors described in court Wednesday as a "brutal, financially motivated" killing carried out during an attempted robbery.

John Pilaccio, 43, was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, where he now faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the Dec. 25 killing. If convicted on the top charge, Pilaccio faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Members of the Ciné family sat quietly in the courtroom behind reporters as prosecutors read aloud the details of the killing, creating what observers described as a solemn and heavy atmosphere throughout the proceeding.

Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia, of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, told the court that the indictment stems from a violent attack captured on surveillance video inside the CVS store on East Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst shortly before 7 p.m. on Christmas night.

According to Aboulafia, Pilaccio entered the store wearing a tan-colored coat and dark scarf, walked briefly through the aisles, and picked up a Gatorade before approaching Ciné, who was working behind the front counter near the cash registers.

“While armed with a knife, the defendant is observed violently lunging at Mr. Ciné Jr., stabbing him in the chest,” Aboulafia said in court. “The surveillance footage further captures this defendant reaching behind the front counter and then jumping over that front counter to continue his attack on the victim.”

Ciné, 23, of West Babylon, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:33 p.m., prosecutors said. An autopsy conducted by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that Ciné suffered a chest wound approximately seven and one-eighth inches deep, piercing his rib cage, pericardial sac, pulmonary artery, and left atrium, as well as two additional sharp-force injuries to his head. The medical examiner concluded that Ciné lost approximately one-third of his total blood volume as a result of the wounds.

Following the attack, Pilaccio fled the store on foot. Suffolk County police arrested him the following day, Dec. 26, in Lindenhurst.

Aboulafia told the court that Pilaccio voluntarily accompanied detectives to the First Precinct, waived his constitutional rights, and participated in a video-recorded interview. While Pilaccio initially denied being present at the CVS, prosecutors said he later identified himself on surveillance footage and admitted to the killing when confronted with the evidence.

“The defendant also provided a motive for committing the killing,” Aboulafia said. “He indicated that he simply did it for money, having previously incurred over $25,000 in credit card debt.”

Prosecutors said Pilaccio admitted discarding his tan coat and scarf after the attack, both of which were later recovered by law enforcement. The knife used in the stabbing has not been recovered, officials said.

In court, defense attorney Steve Fondulis, Pilaccio’s assigned counsel, requested bail for his client. Justice Wilutis denied the request, citing the severity of the charges, Pilaccio’s criminal history, and the strength of the prosecution’s case.

“The nature of the crimes charged herein are outstandingly heinous,” Wilutis said, ordering Pilaccio remanded without bail during the pendency of the case.

Fondulis also objected to expanded media coverage inside the courtroom but did not comment on the charges following the proceeding. Pilaccio’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 23 in Suffolk County Court.

Speaking outside the courthouse after the arraignment, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said the decision to pursue a first-degree murder charge was based on the robbery motive accused by prosecutors.

“There are specific circumstances in which, under the law, we’re able to seek a murder in the first degree,” Tierney said. “The circumstances in this case that would apply would be the robbery motivation, which resulted in the death.”

While the case will proceed through the courts, Tierney said his focus remains on the victim. He said Ciné was working on Christmas night out of a sense of responsibility, not choice.

“I don’t really want to talk about the defendant,” Tierney said. “What I do want to talk about is the victim in this case. Mr. Ciné was a remarkable young man. He was working on Christmas, not because he wanted to be working on Christmas, but because that was his responsibility — to his job and to his family.”

Ciné, a 2020 graduate of North Babylon High School, was remembered by family members and community members as a quiet, hardworking young man devoted to his family and faith. Family representatives said he had filled in for a shift on Christmas, stepping up to help when needed.

Tierney confirmed that surveillance video from the CVS store is a central piece of evidence in the case, but acknowledged frustration over how long it took for CVS to turn over footage to investigators.

“When we have evidence that is relevant to a crime, especially homicide, we need to do everything in our power to make sure that we get that in a timely fashion,” Tierney said.

Attorneys representing the Ciné family said questions surrounding CVS’s response and employee safety remain unresolved.

“The reality is that this occurred in a space where large corporations put profit over people,” said Heather Palmore, counsel for the Ciné family. “That results in suffering for many families, and that has to stop.”

Palmore also raised concerns about the delay in releasing surveillance footage to police.

“It also begs the question, which was posed here today, why it took so long for critical evidence to be turned over to law enforcement, who are here to assist the community exactly in times like this,” she said.

Family attorney Steven Drummond said investigators and counsel intend to examine whether CVS could have done more to protect its employees.

“The question that must be answered is why it took so long,” Drummond said. “We can walk into a CVS right now and can’t buy a bar of soap without asking someone to unlock the product. Where’s the safety and the protection for those who work there?”

When asked whether the family plans to file a civil lawsuit against CVS, Drummond said no decision has been made.

“They retained counsel to protect their interests throughout this whole process,” he said. “We intend to follow the evidence any way the evidence leads to, and to hold those accountable based primarily and simply upon the evidence.”

When asked to comment, CVS representatives stated they were devastated over the tragic stabbing that occurred inside the East Montauk Highway store on Christmas night.

"Edeedson Cine was a valued member of the store team, known for his strong work ethic, a representative said in a statement. "During his time with CVS, he was a hard-working and dedicated employee, and his loss is felt by all of us. Our thoughts are with Edeedson’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. Counseling and support services are available to all store colleagues to help them cope with this senseless tragedy."

The statement continued, "We’re grateful to the Suffolk County Police Department for their quick response and have been fully cooperating with them since the investigation began, and will continue to do so. We provided the initial surveillance video they requested on the night of the incident — officers also watched it in the store — and the remaining video the police requested was sent to Suffolk County PD on Friday morning (12/26) via email. Our teams worked through the night to pull and package more than 24 hours of video in the specific manner they asked for."

As the family prepares to lay Ciné to rest, his attorneys said they expect continued community support similar to the hundreds who attended the Dec. 29 vigil in Lindenhurst.

A GoFundMe fundraiser organized by Ciné’s family has raised more than $124,000, reflecting an outpouring of support from across Long Island and beyond.

As the family prepares to lay Ciné to rest, their attorneys shared a deeply personal detail about his relationship with his father. Palmore said Ciné and his father had a longstanding ritual of cutting his hair — a tradition that took on profound meaning after his death.

“Eddie had a ritual with his dad of cutting his hair, and unfortunately, he was not able, while Eddie was here with us, to perform that last fatherly duty,” Palmore said. “Yesterday, he had the opportunity to give him his last haircut.”

Visitation services for Ciné will be held Thursday, Jan. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Mangano Family Funeral Home in Deer Park. A burial ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9, at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale.