A 23-year-old CVS employee who was not scheduled to work on Christmas Day was fatally stabbed while behind the counter at a store in Lindenhurst, Long Island, prompting authorities to arrest a suspect two days later on second-degree murder charges.
Edeedson “Eddy” Cine, a resident of West Babylon, was stabbed in the chest around 6:50 p.m. December 25 at the CVS located at 20 East Montauk Highway. He had filled in for another employee’s shift at the store where he had worked for 10 months. The suspect fled on foot following the attack.
Cine was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead.
Suffolk County Police arrested John Pilaccio, 43, of 59 Palm Street in Lindenhurst on Friday, December 26. He was charged with second-degree murder and held overnight before his arraignment.
Pilaccio was arraigned Saturday, December 27, before Suffolk County District Court Judge John Kelly. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. Another court appearance was held on December 31.
The case will be moved to a grand jury. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said prosecutors referenced oral admissions Pilaccio allegedly made to police during a bail application at the arraignment.
“The first thing [Pilaccio] did when he got up to the cashier … unfortunately was to attack him. The crime is captured on the video,” Tierney said.
Steve Fondulis, Pilaccio’s court-appointed attorney, represented the defendant at the arraignment.
The investigation faced initial complications due to delays in obtaining surveillance footage from inside the store. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina publicly criticized CVS during a Friday press conference, stating, “Quite frankly, that has hampered our ability to make an arrest in this situation. I’m shocked and appalled by it,” Catalina said.
CVS provided the requested surveillance video to Suffolk County Police at 12:30 p.m. Friday. A company spokesperson told media outlets the video took considerable time to pull and package in the specific manner requested by investigators.
Despite the delay in receiving internal store footage, detectives worked through the night following the Christmas Day stabbing. They identified Pilaccio as a person of interest through witness accounts and surveillance video captured outside the CVS location. The crime itself was captured on the store’s video system.
Catalina indicated that, based on the person of interest and his background, investigators assumed he was in the store for nefarious reasons and that the confrontation may have resulted from those circumstances.
Cine’s family told media outlets he had not been scheduled to work on Thursday but picked up the Christmas shift. His grandmother described her grandson as “very loving” and said he lived with his parents.
Police detectives combed the area for additional evidence. A makeshift memorial was set up outside the location where community members stopped to pay their respects.
Regular customers of the store remembered Cine for his dedication and positive demeanor. Customers said he would go above and beyond in helping shoppers and was always a nice, polite young man who simply came to work to do his job.
A GoFundMe campaign established in Cine’s memory described him as a remarkable young man who was taken from this world far too soon, with a fierce heart for service whose love for family and friends was unwavering. The fundraiser raised more than $119,000.
CVS released a statement expressing devastation over the tragedy. The company said Cine was a valued member of the store team known for his strong work ethic and that during his time with CVS, he was a hard-working and dedicated employee whose loss would be felt by all. The company offered counseling and support services to store colleagues to help them cope with the incident.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Catalina said the department’s hearts went out to Cine’s family and loved ones.
The investigation remains ongoing. Suffolk County Police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Homicide Squad or Crime Stoppers. Authorities emphasized that all calls would be kept confidential.
Tierney, the district attorney, declined to speculate on a specific motive but confirmed the investigation was continuing. He said prosecutors would not allow the 144-hour window for submitting the case to a grand jury to expire, which would have resulted in the defendant’s release.
