A New Jersey man accused of the brutal murder of a young Connecticut man in an Upper East Side apartment after a night of parting entered a surprise guilty plea Tuesday.
Lawrence Dilione, 30, copped to one count of first-degree manslaughter in exchange for 23 years in prison.
He struck the deal with Manhattan prosecutors just a month after co-defendant James Rackover was sentenced to 28 2/3 years to life in prison. Rackover, 27, was convicted at trial.
“Is it true…that you, Larry Dilione, with the intent to cause serious physical injury to Joseph Comunale, you acted in concert and aided James Rackover in causing the death of Joseph Comunale?” asked Justice James Burke.
“Yes,” Dilione replied flatly, wearing beige prison scrubs in Manhattan Supreme Court. Dilione dodged a potential life sentence had he taken his chances at trial.
In a tragic turn, Comunale randomly met Dilione outside a Meatpacking District club Nov. 13, 2016, and they headed back to Rackover’s apartment for an after-party with a group of young women.
After the women left, Dilione and his pal Rackover, 27, got into a fight with Comunale likely sparked by their dwindling supply of cocaine, according to prosecutors.
The two men relentlessly beat the Hofstra graduate inside Rackover’s luxury apartment until he was unconscious, then stabbed him 15 times, Assistant DA Antoinette Carter previously said.
In an attempt to conceal the horrific crime, the pair bleached the apartment then dumped Comunale’s body in a shallow grave behind a florist shop in Oceanport, N.J. Before burying him, they doused him in gasoline and set him on fire.
Rackover, an ex-con from Florida, was the alleged lover of jeweler-to-the-stars Jeffrey Rackover, 57, who was bankrolling the young man’s extravagant lifestyle.
Rackover masqueraded as the gem dealer’s biological son, even legally adopting his name.
The celebrity jeweler paid the rent for Rackover’s Grand Sutton apartment on East 59th Street, where Comunale was slaughtered.
Dilione’s lawyers, Michael Pappa and Mark Casazza, said their client was contrite.
“Larry has given a lot of thought to his participation in the events that led up to the senseless death of Joseph Comunale,” said Pappa. “It is clear by virtue of his guilty plea that he has a deep sense of remorse for setting in motion the acts that resulted in Joey’s death.”
Pappa added, “He also wanted to spare the family the pain of having to live through another trial.”
Robert Abrams, a lawyer for Comunale’s parents, was in court for the unexpected plea deal.
“The family wants to extend their thanks and appreciation to the district attorney and the New York City police for the excellent work that they have done,” said Abrams, of Abrams & Fensterman. “We now have two of the three defendants behind bars for a very long time. We look forward to justice being brought to the final defendant.”
Defendant Max Gemma, who was present during the killing but did not participate, is facing lesser raps for helping to cover up the crime. He’s scheduled to go to trial in February.