On a tragic Father's Day, June 19, 2011, Jaime Taccetta, a 33-year-old mother of two, entered the Haven Drugs pharmacy in Medford, New York, for a routine errand. A customer at the store, she was tragically caught in a violent robbery that would claim her life and three others in what prosecutors described as the most cold-blooded robbery-homicide in Suffolk County history. Taccetta, who was engaged to be married, was shot and killed execution-style.
Her fiancé, who was waiting for her in their vehicle, discovered the horrific scene after she failed to return.
The perpetrator was identified as David Laffer, who entered the pharmacy armed with a. 45 caliber handgun, intent on stealing thousands of prescription painkillers to fuel his and his wife's addiction. After fatally shooting the pharmacist, Raymond Ferguson, and a 17-year-old store clerk, Jennifer Mejia, Laffer turned his weapon on customers Bryon Sheffield, 71, and Jaime Taccetta, shooting them as they entered the store. Laffer then filled a backpack with over 11,000 hydrocodone pills before fleeing.
Days later, David Laffer and his wife, Melinda Brady, who drove the getaway car, were arrested in connection with the murders. Laffer ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to five consecutive life terms. Melinda Brady pleaded guilty to her role in planning the robbery and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. A subsequent investigation revealed that a doctor, Stan Xuhui Li, had been supplying Laffer with large quantities of painkillers, leading to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed on behalf of Taccetta's daughters.
