A 22-year-old Ronkonkoma man was arrested Thursday in connection with the murder of a young newlywed.

Laura Giampino, 20, was found dead Monday in a burning house in Ronkonkoma. The medical examiner determined that Giampino was strangled before the fire started.

Christopher Bayer was charged with second-degree manslaughter. Police say Bayer issued a written confession, in which he stated Giampino was accidentally suffocated by a sock during consensual, rough sex. Bayer admitted in the statement that he set the fire to cover up her death, police say.

Giampino's mother disputes Bayer's claim, saying that her daughter would never have cheated on her husband.

Meanwhile, Giampino's husband of five months has been in jail since Friday on unrelated charges.

On Monday, several motorists noticed smoke coming from a house on Hawkins Avenue. When firefighters entered the house, they discovered Giampino's body.

Related Information: