A Long Island man has been arrested for the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old CVS employee on Christmas Day.
John Pilaccio, 43, of Lindenhurst, is charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stabbed Edeedson Cine, of West Babylon, in the chest about an hour before the store was set to close, Suffolk County police said Friday.
Officers responded to the scene just before 7 p.m. Thursday at the CVS store at 20 East Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst. The suspect initially fled the scene on foot and Cine was rushed to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead.
Pilaccio was identified as a person of interest based on witness descriptions and surveillance video from outside the store, Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said on Friday.
“It appears this poor kid went to work on Christmas and he was assaulted while he was working behind the counter in the store,” Catalina added.
Cine had worked at the store for about 10 months, according to police and CVS representatives. Investigators have not said what led to the stabbing or whether the suspect and victim knew each other. Pilaccio was taken into custody later that day and is set to be arraigned on Saturday.
“We’re devastated over the tragic stabbing that occurred inside our East Montauk Highway store on Christmas night,” a CVS spokesperson said in a statement. “Edeedson Cine was a valued member of the store team, known for his strong work ethic – his loss will be felt by all of us.”
Cine’s family told CBS News that he was not scheduled to work on Christmas, but that he had picked up an extra shift.
“Why inside of CVS?” Cine’s grandmother, Rose Cine said. “Why where he was working? He just gets up and goes to work – that’s all he does.”
She said her grandson lived with his parents, attended a Seventh-day Adventist church and was “very loving.”
A makeshift memorial was set up outside the store Friday, where community members stopped to honor Cine, who made a lasting impression on customers.
”He would go above and beyond. If you needed something, he would be responsive to you,” customer Margaret Reichling said. “He was always a nice, polite kid.”
A GoFundMe that describes Cine as “a remarkable young man who was taken from this world far too soon,” had raised more than $36,000 by Saturday.
“He had a fierce heart for service, and his love for his family and friends was unwavering,” the campaign read. “That love will continue to live on through all who were blessed to know him.”
