UES Party Murderer Gets Life In Prison

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An ex-con who became a surrogate son to a jeweler who counted the Trumps and Oprah among his clients will spend at least a quarter-century in prison.

James Rackover, 27, was sentenced Wednesday to 28-years-to-life for the 2016 murder of Connecticut's Joseph Comunale, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., announced. Rackover was convicted in November on charges of second-degree murder, concealment of a human corpse and hindering prosecutors.

Rackover killed 26-year-old Joseph Comunale on November 13, 2016 after meeting the Connecticut native during a night of partying in Manhattan, prosecutors said. Comunale accompanied Rackover and his friends to Rackover's apartment in the Grand Sutton apartment building on East 59th Street and First Avenue to continue a night of revelry when things turned violent.

Comunale's body was dug up from a shallow grave in a remote, wooded area of Oceanport, New Jersey, on November 16, 2016. The Stamford native, reported missing days before he was found, suffered at least 15 stab wounds, a broken pelvis and evidence indicated that Rackover attempted to burn his body, according to police and the DA's office. A large duffel bag was discovered near the burial site, prosecutors said.

The grisly murder captivated New York City's tabloids due to Rackover's connections with celebrity jeweler Jeffrey Rackover, whose clientele includes Oprah Winfrey and Donald and Melania Trump. Despite sharing a last name, the two aren't blood relatives. James Rackover's birth name is James Beaudoin, and he came to New York City after a troubled past life in Florida.

While living in Florida, Beaudoin was arrested multiple times for crimes such as burglary and drug possession, according to the report. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to six years in prison, although it is unknown exactly how much of that time he spent behind bars, the Daily Mail reported.

Pat Comunale, the father of Joseph, has since sued Jeffrey Rackover in civil court for allegedly helping cover up his son's murder. The lawsuit claims that Jeffrey and James Rackover lived together for two years prior to 2015 and were engaged in a sexual, drug-fueled relationship. In 2015, Jeffrey allowed James to take the last name Rackover and arranged to rent James his own apartment in the posh Grand Sutton tower.

Verdicts against Rackover's alleged accomplices Lawrence Dilione and Max Gemma have not been returned. Dilione is facing the same charges as Rackover, but Gemma is not charged with murder, prosecutors said.

Photo of James Rackover by Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press