On a cold January evening in Amityville, New York, a fatal series of events unfolded that would end the life of Alexander Algeri, a 32-year-old man, in a tragic case of mistaken identity. On January 17, 2001, Algeri, the co-owner of the Dolphin Fitness Club, was gunned down in the parking lot behind his gym. Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots ring out shortly after 7 p.m.
Mortally wounded, Algeri managed to stumble back into the fitness club, telling patrons he had been shot before collapsing. Despite the immediate efforts of those inside, including an Amityville Trustee and a nurse who performed CPR, and the swift response of emergency services, Algeri succumbed to his injuries at Brunswick Hospital Center. He had been shot multiple times in the head and neck area.
Initially, the motive behind the shooting baffled investigators, as Alexander Algeri was known as a hardworking and well-liked individual with no known enemies. The brutal nature of the crime suggested a targeted hit rather than a random act of violence. For more than a year, the case grew cold, leaving a community in suspense. The break in the investigation came in early 2002 with the arrest of Scott Paget in Miami, Florida, on unrelated charges. Facing a long prison sentence, Paget revealed to detectives that he had information about the Amityville murder. He confessed to his involvement and implicated Ralph “Rocco” Salierno as the shooter.
The investigation unraveled a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Lee Ann Riedel, the estranged wife of Algeri's business partner and best friend, Paul Riedel. Prosecutors asserted that Lee Ann Riedel was having an affair with Salierno and conspired with him to have her husband killed amid a bitter custody battle. The motive appeared to be a combination of personal animosity and financial gain, as Lee Ann stood to benefit from her husband's death. However, in the dimly lit parking lot on that fateful night, Salierno mistook Algeri for Paul Riedel, who was the intended target. Paget admitted to driving the getaway vehicle.
The subsequent legal proceedings brought the conspirators to justice. Ralph “Rocco” Salierno was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lee Ann Riedel was found guilty of her role in orchestrating the murder plot and received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Scott Paget, in exchange for his testimony, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a reduced sentence. The tragic death of Alexander Algeri served as a somber reminder of a meticulously planned crime that ended in a devastating mistake, taking the life of an innocent man.
