Third arrest made in murder of Hofstra graduate

Police say a third arrest has been made in the murder of a former Hofstra graduate whose body was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey. The NYPD has charged Max Gemma, 29, of Oceanport, New Jersey,

News 12 Staff

Dec 7, 2016, 1:01 AM

Updated 2,857 days ago

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Police say a third arrest has been made in the murder of a former Hofstra graduate whose body was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey.
The NYPD has charged Max Gemma, 29, of Oceanport, New Jersey, with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.
James Rackover, 25, of New York, and Lawrence Dilione, 28, of Jersey City, were also charged with the murder of 26-year-old Joseph Comunale. The pair was also charged with concealment of a human corpse and tampering with evidence.
Police say Comunale was murdered after a party at a luxury Upper East Side. His body was then found in a shallow grave behind Foggia's Florist on Monmouth Boulevard in Oceanport.
According to police, Comunale had apparently been stabbed over a dozen times. His body was burned and stuffed into a suitcase.
Authorities say that the location in Oceanport was chosen as a dumping ground because Dilione is originally from the town.
Comunale, of Stamford, Connecticut, was last seen at an apartment building on East 59th Street in Manhattan on Nov. 13. Police say Comunale had gone into the city with friends to a club, but was later seen going to a party with different people.
Comunale was reported missing by his father when he did not come home.