Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Party Monster’ of Netflix’s ‘Homicide: New York’ chronicles the tragic and untimely demise of 26-year-old Joey Comunale in November 2016. As the detectives followed a trail of evidence, including surveillance footage, they were led to a party at a luxurious New York City apartment, where Joey was last seen alive. All the intricate details of the case and the investigation that ensued are explored in the documentary, which also features insightful interviews with his loved ones and the officials linked to the case.
Joey Comunale’s Remains Were Found in New Jersey Days After He Vanished From a New York Club
On March 9, 1990, in Stamford, Connecticut, Patsy and Lisa Comunale welcomed a little bundle of joy into the world in the form of Joseph A “Joey” Comunale. Growing up in a loving household alongside his sister, Alexa Comunale, Joey shared a deep bond with his father, thanks to their shared love for sports. By the time he turned eight, he had begun playing competitive hockey. The sports enthusiast attended Westhill High School, where he became a member of the State Championship Baseball Team. At the same time, he also continued playing hockey. After graduating from high school, he earned his Business degree from Hofstra University, where he was a key player for the hockey and baseball teams and a member of the DSP Fraternity.
After earning his degree, Joey joined his father’s security business on Long Island as the HR Director and placed many of his friends there. Thanks to his sociable and compassionate nature, he made a significant impact on many people’s lives. The 26-year-old had a lot to look forward to, but fate intervened and shattered his aspirations. On the night of November 12, 2016, he went to The Gilded Lily bar in Manhattan, New York City, with his friend, Stephen Naso, for a night out. At the club, Joey struck up conversations with a few women and, after 4 am, headed to an after-party with them and a couple of men. Since Stephen had been using Joey’s phone to communicate with his girlfriend, Joey told him to keep the phone and return it the following day.
When Joey didn’t return home and couldn’t be reached, his parents contacted his friends and learned about the night out. As the police got involved and actively searched for Joey, his loved ones’ worst nightmare became a reality. On November 16, 2016, the detectives located his remains buried in an open area behind a florist shop in Oceanport, New Jersey. His remains were reportedly charred, indicating that they were set on fire before the burial. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy, which revealed that he had been stabbed 14 times and had broken bones, bruising on his hands, and a large cut on his shoulder.
The Killer of Joey Comunale Was Present at the After Party
When Joey Comunale was reported missing to the authorities, they launched a search for the missing 26-year-old man. They learned that he had gone to the after-party at the Grand Sutton apartment building in the Upper East Side, with three women, including Jenna, and two men — Lawrence “Larry” Dilione and Max Gemma. The detectives interviewed Jenna, who told them the party was at the apartment of James Rackover, a friend of Larry and Max and the son of a celebrity jeweler named Jeffrey Rackover. During his questioning, James claimed that he last saw Joey walking out of the building with Larry and the three women, after which he didn’t return. Larry also corroborated this version of events, while Max claimed he had fallen asleep on the couch during the party and had woken up after everyone had left.
However, upon reviewing the apartment building’s video surveillance, the investigators spotted Joey walking back into the building at 6:30 am with Larry after seeing the women out. As it contradicted the statements of James and Larry, the police dug deeper into the two men’s lives. The detectives went to the building’s parking lot, located Jeffrey Rackover’s black Mercedes, driven by James, and found fingerprint smudges on the rear trunk lid. To gather more evidence against them, the authorities also spoke with the Grand Sutton concierge, Eduardo Souza, who claimed James had asked him about the length of time the security cameras recorded. The K9 unit also searched the parking lot, where a cadaver dog also barked at the rear truck of the Mercedes.
The Men Responsible For the Homicide Were Apprehended
While the investigators sifted through the garbage bags from the apartments of the building, the cadaver dogs also helped them identify suspicious bags in the lot. One of the bags contained a comforter cover belonging to James Rackover and towels soaked in blood. Inside another bag, they found clothing belonging to Joey covered in blood, Joey’s gold chain, bank card, and ID. Upon research, the detectives learned that James’ real surname was Beaudoin and he was not the biological son of Jeffrey Rackover. According to reports, James hailed from Florida, where he had an extensive rap sheet. He had also served time for about a year and a half for burglary.
After getting bailed out, he moved to the Big Apple, where he met Jeffrey in 2013 and became so close to him that he began referring to him as his son. Since he was seen driving on a suspended license, he was taken into custody for the same. On November 15, 2016, the crime scene unit processed James’ apartment with the help of luminol and UV light and found the entire bathroom lit up, indicating that a lot of blood had been cleaned up there. Blood was also found in other areas of the apartment. The detectives received another break in the case when Larry Dilione agreed to talk to the police and led them to the site where Joey’s remains were buried.
As per his account, a physical altercation between Joey and Larry broke out at the end of the afterparty. He told the detectives that it was James who stabbed the 26-year-old man. After the murder, Max allegedly woke up from his sleep and was sent home by them. The two men then disposed of the remains in the woods of New Jersey. By May 10, 2017, both Larry and James were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, hindering prosecution, and concealment of corpse. Max was also arrested for hindering prosecution in connection with Joey’s murder.
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Larry Dilione and James Rackover Are Serving Time at Separate New York Prison Facilities
On October 18, 2018, James Rackover’s murder trial commenced. After a couple of weeks of testimonies, on November 2, the jury deliberated and found him guilty on all counts, including second-degree murder, hindering prosecution in the first degree, and concealment of a human corpse. In early December 2018, he was sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison for his involvement in the killing of Joey Comunale. Meanwhile, Larry Dilione pleaded guilty to manslaughter in order to avoid going to trial and receive a lesser sentence. Thus, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Over the years, James has maintained his innocence and claimed that Larry was the one who stabbed Joey to death. As of today, 35-year-old James Rackover is serving his sentence at Elmira Correctional Facility in Chemung County, New York, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for July 2045. As for 37-year-old Larry, he is currently incarcerated at Clinton Correctional Facility in the Village of Dannemora, New York, with his earliest release date set for January 2037.
