CVS worker killed Long Island: Man accused of killing ‘remarkable’ employee on Christmas appears in court
LINDENURST, Long Island (WABC) — A man accused of stabbing and killing a CVS worker on Christmas Day in Lindenhurst appeared before a judge on Wednesday.
Edeedson Cine, 23, known as Eddie, was filling in that day at the cash register for another employee over the holiday. It was almost closing time.
Police say at 7 p.m., 43-year-old John Pilaccio walked in, stole a Gatorade and then tried to rob the store.
Officials say Cine refused to hand over cash and prosecutors say Pilaccio lunged at him and stabbed him in the chest. He then allegedly jumped over the counter and continued to attack Cine with the knife.
Cine was left with a broken rib, deadly head trauma and a stab wound more than seven inches long that pierced his heart. Authorities say he died within minutes of the attack.
The district attorney alleges that Pilaccio was motivated by robbery and was $25,000 in credit card debt.
Prosecutors say Pilaccio had arrests for six prior felonies — including one for a violent robbery 20 years ago — but had already been discharged from parole.
That’s a source of immense frustration for many.
“It’s horrific, your kid goes to work on Christmas and doesn’t come home, so I don’t know how any parent could possibly deal with that, wonderful family, wonderful kid,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney addressed the public after the hearing and called Cine a remarkable young man.
“In other instances I’ve talked about our system, our parole system, a number of the laws that have been passed have really made our parole system a joke,” Tierney said. “Violent conduct, why there wouldn’t be a lifetime parole…that’s something that should be revisited.”
Pilaccio is facing a first-degree murder charge which carries a maximum sentence of lifetime in prison without parole.
It was revealed in court Wednesday that that Pilaccio initially denied the crime until police recovered critical surveillance video. CVS said they sent it to police at 12:30 p.m. the next day– 17 and a half hours later.
Cine’s family has retained counsel because they say they want to investigate if CVS was doing everything it could to keep its employees safe.
“We can walk into a CVS right now, and I can’t buy a bar of soap without asking someone at the front to unlock the product…where’s the safety and protection for those who work?” said family attorney Heather Palmore.
A wake will be held for Cine on Thursday and his funeral is set for Friday.
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