Friday, June 3, 2005
D.A. BROWN: BRIDGE PAINTING CONTRACTOR CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR 1989 SHOOTING DEATH OF FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER; FACES UP TO LIFE IN PRISON
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a bridge painting contractor has been found guilty following a jury trial for the 1989 shooting death of his former business partner -- who was also his mother’s longtime companion -- inside the victim’s Astoria home.
District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant has been convicted for a second time of the 1989 shooting death of his former business partner and mentor. The evidence showed that the defendant, angry that he had been disrespected, went to the victim’s home, lured him to the basement, shot him several times in the back and then stood over him and shot him repeatedly in the face, killing him. The defendant took a life in cold blood to satisfy his ego. The crime warrants imposition of the maximum penalty of life in prison and that is the recommendation that will be made to the Court at sentencing.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Ralph Romano, Jr., 41, of 120-15 Riviera Court in College Point, Queens, the owner of Romano Enterprises -- a large bridge painting firm --located at 18-39 128th Street in College Point and which has done work on many of the City’s major bridges. The defendant was convicted earlier today of Murder in the Second Degree by a jury of nine men and three women that deliberated five hours after a four-week trial. The jury returned a verdict of guilty before Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Cooperman. The defendant faces a maximum prison term of 25 years to life when sentenced on June 29, 2005.
The previous trial in 2001 had also resulted in a murder conviction but that verdict was later set aside because of juror misconduct.
The District Attorney said that according to trial testimony the defendant on June 7, 1989 was driven by a friend to the residence of his former business partner, John Spensieri, 51, at 49-03 21st Avenue in Astoria, Queens. The two men discussed business and then, the evidence showed, the defendant, angry that he had been disrespected, shot his mentor several times in the back and then stood over him and shot him repeatedly in the face, killing him. The murder weapon, a 9 mm. handgun, was not recovered.
District Attorney Brown said that trial testimony established that the victim and the defendant had been partners in a carting business –- Joral Carting –- at 127 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and that the defendant subsequently set up his own company in Queens called College Point Carting.
According to District Attorney Brown, the defendant was taken into custody in 2000 and charged with killing his former partner as a result of information developed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Police Department’s Cold Case Squad.
The investigation was conducted by Senior Investigator Julian Yanotti and Assistant Chief Terrence Mulderrig of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau and Detective Thomas Mansfield of the NYPD’s Queens Cold Case Squad under the supervision of Lieutenant Philip Panzarella and their commanding officer Deputy Inspector Raymond Ferrari and former Lieutenant Stanley Carpenter and Lieutenant Teddy Wess of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Squad under the supervision of former Chief Edward T. Brady.
Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders prosecuted the case under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa.