Keith Amato, 30, of Coram, allegedly beat Christopher Lulenski, also 30, to death almost two weeks ago with a baseball bat in his neighbor's driveway on Bonnie Lane in Centereach and fled the scene. Police found Mr. Amato allegedly overdosed inside in his car hours later in Ronkonkoma.
Assistant District Attorney Kerriann Kelly said that following an argument between the two men, Mr. Amato went to his car to get a baseball bat and used it to repeatedly hit Mr. Lulenski. Mr. Amato, Ms. Kelly explained to the court, continued to hit Mr. Lulenski "even though he went down after the first hit."
He stopped, walked away and returned to begin hitting Mr. Lulenski a second time, she said.
"It was a very brutal attack," she said.
A postmortem examination found Mr. Lulenski's skull was shattered and contained several fractures, Ms. Kelly said.
Following Mr. Lulenski's death, Mr. Amato made numerous oral admissions regards his actions to a police officer and the good samaritan who notified police of his whereabouts, she said.
Mr. Lulenski's family was not available for comment.
Wearing jail issued green scrubs, his wrists restrained by hand cuffs, Mr. Amato listened intently to the allegations before entering in a plea of not guilty before the court. He was then remanded without bail to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility.
Mr. Amato's mother sat with her arms folded in her lap, while her rabbi comforted her.
Outside the courtroom, criminal defense attorney, Ray Perini of Hauppauge, said his client does not have a prior criminal record. The allegations brought forth against Mr. Amato don't attest to who "this young man is," Mr. Perini said.
Mr. Perini said that there was a confrontation on the lawn between his client and Mr. Lulenski. However, his law firm is still investigating the incident, he said.
After Mr. Amato's initial arrest, Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Suffolk Police Homicide Squad, told The North Shore Sun Mr. Lulenski had recently moved into a basement apartment with Mr. Amato's estranged wife, whose name is being withheld because she is the witness to a crime.
Mr. Amato allegedly broke into a rear glass door in the couple's apartment and an argument ensued between the two men, which continued outside, police said. Mr. Amato, according to police, then allegedly beat Mr. Lulenski with a baseball bat and fled the scene.
When Sixth Precinct police officers arrived, they saw Mr. Lulenski lying in the driveway of the home, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
After Mr. Amato's apprehension the next day, he was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for an overdose and released in to the custody of the suffolk County Sheriff's Office. However, he is presently being housed in the jail's general population, not protective custody, a representative from the Sheriff's Office said earlier this week. Mr. Amato is scheduled to appear in court for a conference on Dec. 2.