In the winter of 2017, the story of 40-year-old Michael Stewart unfolded on Staten Island, a narrative that began with a chance encounter and ended in a presumed tragic death. Stewart, a father of two, vanished on December 20, 2017, after an evening that started at a local pub and led him to a barbershop where he reconnected with an old high school acquaintance, Angelo Nesimi. Surveillance footage captured a seemingly joyous reunion between the two men.
However, this cheerful moment would be the last time Stewart was seen alive.
The following day, a chilling text message from Stewart's phone to his mother stating, "Please help me, Mom," marked the beginning of a desperate search by his family and a complex investigation by law enforcement. As days turned into weeks with no sign of Stewart, the case transitioned from a missing person investigation to a homicide inquiry. The focus of the investigation soon centered on Angelo Nesimi, the man Stewart was last seen with.
In January 2019, Angelo Nesimi, then 33 years old, was indicted on multiple charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Stewart's disappearance and presumed death. Prosecutors alleged that Nesimi stabbed Stewart to death in his apartment. The motive for the killing was suspected by police to be drug-related. Nesimi's landlord, William Formica, 58, was also charged for his alleged role in the cover-up. It was claimed that Formica assisted Nesimi in disposing of evidence from the apartment, including the removal of carpets, a refrigerator, and sinks, in an attempt to conceal the crime.
The investigation was significantly aided by the testimony of Nesimi's then-girlfriend, who informed police that she had witnessed Nesimi kill a man. She also alleged that Nesimi forced her to help him dispose of a body in New Jersey. Despite extensive searches of landfills in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Michael Stewart's body was never recovered. However, investigators reported finding DNA evidence, including Stewart's DNA on the lining of a truck bed allegedly used in the disposal of items from Nesimi's apartment.
Both Angelo Nesimi and William Formica pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them. Nesimi's defense attorney dismissed the girlfriend's testimony as the "musings of a jilted lover." Following his indictment, Formica's construction and private sanitation companies had their city-issued credentials revoked due to the charges and a pattern of unsafe practices. While the initial arrests and charges were widely reported, information regarding the final verdicts and sentencing for Angelo Nesimi and William Formica is not available in the provided search results.
