A man in Shirley, New York, died after a beating — and his former girlfriend allegedly orchestrated the attack.
Prosecutors indicted Melissa Fawcett, 50, Korey Sammarco, 36, and Benjamin Sheppard, 34, on second-degree murder and gang assault charges weeks after 48-year-old Christopher Martin allegedly died from a beating in his Shirley, New York home. According to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the three defendants went to the home, where Sammarco had been renting a room, on June 14 around 7 p.m.
Sammarco allegedly kicked down the door to Martin’s bedroom and hit him in the head with a sledgehammer. Prosecutors said Sammarco had been kicked out of the house and was fighting with Martin. Martin had also reportedly just broken up with Fawcett, who was also unhappy with the victim.
The sledgehammer, prosecutors said, was just the beginning of the 30-minute beating.
According to courtroom coverage by local newspaper Newsday, prosecutors said during a July 1 hearing that Fawcett masterminded the vicious attack on Martin. Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty told the court that after Martin ended his relationship with Fawcett, she tried to rekindle the romance by bringing him gifts. The day before the alleged attack, she showed up at Martin’s house again, but he did not let her inside.
Prosecutors said Fawcett bought a gun that she intended to use to scare Martin. Shetty told the court, “She, our investigation revealed, is actually the individual who set this entire event up.”
But Fawcett was not the only person in Martin’s life who allegedly wanted to cause him harm. Prosecutors said Sammarco was also at the house to retrieve his belongings; a police escort accompanied him. A neighbor who spoke to local news station News 12 Long Island said Sammarco had been “kicked out” of the house.
According to the DA and court documents obtained by News 12 Long Island, Sammarco allegedly admitted to beating Martin with a sledgehammer as well as a television set. He also allegedly beat Martin with his fists. Fawcett also allegedly joined the fight, telling police that she took “a couple of shots at him” during the 30-minute ordeal. Sammarco told police during his confession that four others, including Sheppard, allegedly took part in the beating, which he said included assaults with a baseball bat and dumbbells.
Fawcett allegedly smashed Martin’s phone outside in the street so he could not call for help.
Police said another resident of the house found Martin and called 911 around 7:30 p.m. to report the fight. Paramedics rushed Martin to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He had suffered severe facial trauma, broken ribs, a liver laceration, and abdominal bleeding, prosecutors said.
Police arrested Sammarco and Fawcett on June 15; they arrested Sheppard on June 20. All three defendants are being held without bail.
Sammarco and Fawcett are due back in court on Aug. 6, and Sheppard’s next court date is Aug. 10.
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