Long Island Man Gets 30 Years In Pair Of Slayings

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Ronkonkoma man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing two men in a Selden home back in April 2022, his attorney said Wednesday.

Last month, Brian Cordovano pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter, three counts of first-degree robbery, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

His attorney, Christopher Gioe of Hauppauge, told Patch that his client pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter "for the two victims and he will receive consecutive 15-year sentences for those crimes."

"Brian expresses remorse for his actions and opted to admit his guilt instead of enduring a lengthy trial that would further traumatize the family," he added.

After Cordovano's guilty plea, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney described the murders as "a selfish and inexplicable act of violence."

“I hope that this plea provides a measure of comfort to the victims’ families and friends as they continue to mourn these unnecessary and tragic losses," he said. "With this conviction, the victim’s families will be spared the further pain and anxiety of a trial, while ensuring that the community is protected from any further crimes by this defendant.”

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow told Cordovano he would advise the state’s parole board that he "never be released from jail" and referred to his case as having "close to the most brutal crime" in his three decades on the bench, according to Newsday.

He said, "I usually tell murderers when I sentence them that God should have mercy on your soul. I can’t say that to you," the outlet reported.

On April 26, 2022, Ian Saalfield, 45, of Lake Grove, was reported missing by his wife, and she advised police that she last saw her husband the day before with Cordovano, his childhood friend, according to prosecutors.

Saalfield’s wife saw her husband leave their home with Cordovano at around 8 p.m., driving off in Saalfield’s white 2015 Lexus, but he never returned home, prosecutors said, adding that a few days later, on May 2, 2022, police found Saalfield’s car abandoned in a parking lot in Holtsville.

On that same day, police responded to a call from a Ronkonkoma motel where Cordovano was suffering from an overdose, prosecutors said.

While Cordovano was being taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, Suffolk police were able to link a silver 2004 Toyota Corolla left in the motel parking lot to Cordovano, and a registration check revealed it belonged to Robert Julian, 59, of Selden, according to prosecutors.

Police responded to Julian’s home and found the bodies of Saalfield and Julian inside, each dead due to gunshot wounds to the head, and investigators later determined that Cordovano killed the pair on April 25, 2022, prosecutors said.