In the summer of 2019, a planned robbery in a quiet Long Island park took a fatal turn, leading to the death of 22-year-old Stefon Pierre. On the night of July 6th, Pierre was shot in the abdomen at Haypath Road Park in Old Bethpage. His associates drove him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of July 7th. The male victim was a resident of Queens.
The subsequent investigation by Nassau County Police unraveled a conspiracy to commit a robbery that
had gone tragically wrong. Detectives determined that Pierre, along with four other individuals, had planned to rob a man under the guise of a marijuana deal. The group had allegedly arranged to buy a pound of marijuana from Dimitri Filacouris, 21, of Old Bethpage, at the park. However, the intention was to rob him of the drugs.
During the staged drug deal, Brandon P. Torres, 22, of Staten Island, allegedly brandished a pistol and, with Kion Carter, 25, of Middle Island, robbed Filacouris of marijuana, a cellphone, and keys. At some point during the robbery, as Pierre, who was reportedly acting as a lookout, approached the scene, Torres allegedly fired his weapon, striking Pierre. Police suggested that Torres may not have realized he was shooting his accomplice.
Within days, authorities made several arrests in connection with the fatal shooting. Brandon P. Torres was identified as the alleged shooter and was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon. Kion Carter faced charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon. Three others were also charged for their roles in the robbery plot: Patricia Quilliam, 19, of Greenlawn; and Charles Spinella, 17, of Kings Park, were both charged with first-degree robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. Dimitri Filacouris, the target of the robbery, was charged with criminal possession of marijuana.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Brandon Torres was indicted by a grand jury. During his trial in July 2022, prosecutors argued that Torres had intended to shoot Filacouris but mistakenly shot Pierre as he emerged from a hiding spot. The defense, however, portrayed Torres as a scapegoat, questioning the reliability of key witnesses who had made deals with the prosecution for their testimony.
