On a summer day in Farmingville, New York, the quiet of a gated community was shattered by a grim discovery. Inside an apartment on Overlook Drive, 24-year-old Diamond Schick was found dead on July 23, 2021, the victim of a brutal home invasion. She was not alone. Alongside her were the bodies of her fiancé, 31-year-old Richard Castano, with whom she lived, and a friend, 20-year-old Nyasia Knox, who was visiting from Georgia.
All three had been fatally shot in what authorities would later describe as a targeted attack.
The scene was discovered around noon by a relative who, after being unable to reach them, went to the apartment to check on their welfare. Upon finding the door kicked in and the jamb broken, the relative called 911. Police arrived to find the three victims and, miraculously, a baby under a year old, unharmed in one of the rooms. The infant was Nyasia Knox's daughter. Two dogs were also found safe inside the residence. Friends and family were left reeling, describing the victims as young people who were trying to build their lives and did not deserve such a violent end.
The investigation into the triple homicide unfolded over several months, leading authorities to focus on gang-related violence. The breakthrough in the case came with a federal indictment that named Kendrick Seymore, an alleged member of the Bloods gang, as the individual responsible for the murders of Diamond Schick, Richard Castano, and Nyasia Knox.
The superseding indictment, unsealed in federal court, charged Seymore and other alleged gang members with a host of crimes, including racketeering, murder, attempted murder, and drug offenses. Prosecutors stated that these violent acts were carried out on behalf of the Bloods gang. While the specific motive for targeting Schick, Castano, and Knox was not immediately detailed, the indictment painted a picture of a ruthless criminal enterprise. Seymore, who was already in custody on other charges, faces the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of the murders. The case highlighted the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to dismantle violent street gangs operating on Long Island.
