Guilty Plea In 2018 'Senseless' Fatal Shooting In Suffolk: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Port Jefferson man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2018 fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Selden father of three, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office said.

Alejandro Vargas-Diaz, 41, and Albert Luis Rodriguez-Lopez, got into an argument inside a pool hall in Port Jefferson, and during the argument, the victim punched Vargas-Diaz in the face, knocking him to the ground, prosecutors said.

A short time later, Vargas-Diaz ambushed the Luis-Rodriguez inside the pool hall, and shot him in the back, neck, and shoulder, according to prosecutors.

Luis-Rodriguez died at the scene, according to prosecutors.

Vargas-Diaz” immediately fled and absconded” from the state, Tierney’s office said.

One month after the murder, members of Suffolk police found the murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, hidden in a tree at the Setauket Port Jefferson Greenway Trail, according to prosecutors.

On June 18, 2021, nearly three years after the fatal shooting, Vargas-Diaz was arrested by members of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida after a tip to Crime Stoppers, prosecutors said.

Vargas-Diaz was extradited to Suffolk in November 2021.

“For five years, the relatives and loved ones of Mr. Rodriguez-Lopez have waited for justice for this senseless murder. Today, with his admission of guilt, justice has been served,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “While the defendant may have prolonged his freedom by hiding out in another state, it was only a matter of time before the law caught up with him and now, he is being held to account for his actions.”

Vargas-Diaz pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Patch has reached out to his attorney, Christopher Brocato of Central Islip.

Vargas-Diaz is due back in court on Sept. 13, for sentencing, and is expected to be sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.