On Christmas morning in 2021, Steven Byrnes, a 53-year-old male, was shot and killed inside his Southampton, New York, home. The incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. when Southampton Town Police responded to a 911 call reporting a burglary at his residence on Roses Grove Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered Byrnes had sustained a gunshot wound and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The subsequent investigation, led by the Suffolk County Homicide Squad, determined that two masked men,
dressed in black and wearing gloves, had entered Byrnes' home through an attached garage. They went to his bedroom where he was asleep and demanded to know 'where is the stuff?'. The intruders, who were known to Byrnes, were intent on stealing cocaine and cash. During the home invasion, Byrnes was allegedly struck in the head with a shotgun and then shot in the back as he tried to flee.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the murder. The first, Dominick Parisi, 57, of Hampton Bays, was taken into custody on January 16, 2022. The second suspect, Dangelo Soto, 21, of Brentwood, was arrested on February 3, 2022. Both men were initially charged with second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary.
Ultimately, both men pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. In May 2024, Soto pleaded guilty in exchange for a 17-year prison sentence. In February 2025, Parisi also pleaded guilty to the same charge, accepting a 15-year prison sentence. It was noted that Parisi's declining health and the fact that Soto was the one who fired the fatal shot were likely factors in his plea deal. Parisi had a prior conviction for first-degree manslaughter from 1989.
