News: LI Pharmacy Shooter Pleads Guilty
(Long Island, N.Y.) The thirty-three-year-old man responsible for the Medford Pharmacy shootings, which occurred on June 19th, pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree. The killer will be sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Sources claimed that his next court appearance will be on October 17th.
The killer had originally pleaded not guilty to the unspeakable crimes and was expected to keep his plea throughout court proceedings. Many followers of the case believe that his wife had arranged some type of plea bargain, which in turn downgraded her charges. Some followers of the case believe that this eventually caused the killer to change his plea to guilty as evidence against him mounted.
Many Long Islanders who have become invested in the case have rejoiced at the news of the killer’s guilty plea. They claimed that they may finally have the justice they have been waiting for since the shooting left them shaken. Officials handling the case were pleased that relatives of the victims wouldn’t have to listen to details of the killings during a lengthy trial process.
A Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney commented on the case, calling the killings “the most cold-blooded robbery-homicide in Suffolk County history.” Authorities were able to retrieve a matching fingerprint at the crime scene as well as a handgun found at the killer’s home. The weapon was registered to the killer.
Since June, the shooting has been referred to as the Medford Massacre, the Father’s Day Massacre, and other descriptions of the gruesome crime. There have also been numerous copycat robberies, but none have involved the loss of four innocent lives. One of the victims, a thirty-three-old mother of two, was set to have a wedding next month; her fiancé watched the shooter leave the store before walking into the brutal scene.
The killer aimed a gun through a backpack on that fateful morning and shot the pharmacist in the abdomen. He then turned to the seventeen-year-old clerk before shooting the pharmacist two more times. Lastly, he proceeded to move toward the unguarded customers, killing both.
During the robbery the gunman stole around ten-thousand pills of hydrocodone, a drug used to make Vicodin. Upon returning home, the killer was reported to have waved at his neighbors while working in his yard. The killer also attempted to create an alibi by wearing disguises and removing them while visiting a local convenience store.
Police received hundreds of tips and after just two days of investigation and were able to put the couple’s home under surveillance. The police then took him into custody the following day, and reports stated that thirty police officers arrived as backup. The killer was photographed with injuries to his face after he was arrested, and the Police Commissioner stated that he was extremely violent during the arrest.
The killer did not have a previous criminal record and served eight years in the Army as a private. The killer’s Facebook page portrayed an attraction to weapons, and a Springfield XD pistol was listed among his interests.
