Netflix’s true crime series Homicide: New York returned for its second season, bringing viewers back into the intense world of NYPD detectives who solved some of the city’s most troubling cases. The premiere episode, titled “Party Monster,” focuses on the 2016 murder of Joey Comunale, a 26-year-old from Connecticut whose night out in Manhattan turned into a nightmare. The case shocked New Yorkers with its violence and the lavish setting where the crime took place.
The episode features interviews with the detectives who worked the case, prosecutors, and members of Joey’s family, showing how a missing person report quickly turned into a murder investigation. For viewers unfamiliar with the case, here is a detailed breakdown of what happened to Joey Comunale, the investigation that followed, and where the people responsible are now.
What Started as a Normal Night Out in Manhattan
On November 12, 2016, Joey Comunale, a graduate of Hofstra University from Stamford, Connecticut, traveled to New York City with friends for a typical weekend night. They went to the Gilded Lily nightclub in the Meatpacking District, where they spent the evening. At some point during the night, Joey separated from his group and met a small group of people, including three women and two men he had not known before.
Surveillance footage later showed Joey entering the Grand Sutton apartment building at 418 East 59th Street on the Upper East Side in the early morning hours of November 13. The group was heading to an after-party hosted by James Rackover, a 25-year-old who lived in a fourth-floor apartment in the luxury building. The footage showed Joey leaving the building with Lawrence Dilione, one of the men he met, and three women. But a short time later, at around 6:50 a.m., Joey was seen re-entering the building with Dilione. After that moment, he was never seen alive again.
The Investigation Begins With a Missing Person Report
Joey’s father, Patrick Comunale, reported his son missing on Monday, November 14, after not hearing from him following the weekend trip. Police went to the East 59th Street apartment where Joey was last seen and spoke with James Rackover. Rackover told detectives he had hosted a party at his apartment, attended by Dilione, several women, and a man he claimed he did not know. Rackover said he did not know what happened to that man.
When detectives interviewed Lawrence Dilione, the story changed. Dilione confessed to his role in the crime and provided investigators with a critical lead. He told police, “We took Joey’s body to Oceanport, New Jersey and we buried it in a vacant lot”. He then showed detectives on a map exactly where the body was buried, more than 60 miles from the Manhattan apartment.
The Grisly Discovery in New Jersey
On Wednesday, November 16, investigators found Joey Comunale’s body in a shallow grave behind a florist shop in Oceanport, New Jersey. The medical examiner later determined that Joey had been stabbed 15 times in the torso, and there were signs that the killers had attempted to burn the body. Gasoline was found at the burial scene.
Back in Manhattan, detectives searched James Rackover’s apartment and found blood splatter on clothing. They also discovered that someone had used bleach in an apparent attempt to clean up the crime scene. A cadaver dog brought to the parking garage where Rackover’s Mercedes was parked gave a positive alert for human remains near the trunk area.
The People Convicted in Joey Comunale’s Murder
James Rackover
James Rackover was the primary resident of the apartment where the murder occurred. He was not biologically related to Jeffrey Rackover, a well-known celebrity jeweler whose clients included Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Lopez. James had changed his last name after Jeffrey Rackover took him in and acted as a mentor. Before moving to New York, James had a criminal record in Florida, including a burglary charge.
In November 2018, James Rackover was found guilty of second-degree murder, concealing a human corpse, and tampering with evidence. He received a sentence of 28 years to life in prison. During sentencing, Justice James Burke said, “This is precisely the rare kind of case that maximum consecutive sentences are reserved for, and no other lesser sentence would make much sense”.
Lawrence Dilione
Lawrence Dilione, 28 at the time of the murder, was a friend of Rackover’s who had attended Red Bank Catholic High School and played lacrosse at Wagner College. He owned a roofing business based in Long Branch, New Jersey. Dilione was the one who led police to Joey’s body and provided details about what happened.
In January 2019, Dilione pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.
Max Gemma
A third man, Max Gemma, was also involved in the case. Gemma was at the apartment during the party and later misled police about what he had seen. He pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and received a six-month prison sentence in April 2019. His attorney made it clear that Gemma had nothing to do with the violence, stating, “Max had nothing whatsoever to do with the violence committed by Rackover or Dilione, or their attempt to clean the crime scene and to conceal Joseph Comunale’s body”. Gemma served only four months and was released in August 2019.
How Homicide: New York Season 2 Presents the Case
The Netflix docuseries, created by Dick Wolf, uses interviews with the actual detectives who worked the case, including Detective Pete Panuccio, along with prosecutors and family members. The show presents the investigation step by step, showing how the detectives used surveillance footage, witness interviews, and forensic evidence to piece together what happened inside that Upper East Side apartment.
The episode’s title, “Party Monster,” reflects the contrast between the glamorous setting of the Sutton Place apartment and the brutal violence that took place there. The show does not dramatize the events with actors; instead, it relies on the people who lived through the investigation to tell the story.
What the Comunale Family Said
Joey’s father, Patrick Comunale, has been vocal about the loss of his son and the pursuit of justice. After James Rackover was convicted, Patrick spoke outside the courthouse, thanking the prosecutors and police for their work. He said, “I couldn’t be more proud of the NYPD and what they did. I couldn’t be more happy for…all of Joey’s friends and everybody else who supported us over the last two years”. Earlier in the investigation, he had told reporters, “These guys should pay, they have to pay. I’ll be there every day. Justice for Joey, guys”.
Friends remembered Joey as a good-hearted person. Devin Edwards, a friend of Joey’s, told News 12, “He was one of a kind. He was Joey. He was the life of the party. He never did anything wrong”.
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Other Cases Featured in Homicide: New York Season 2
While the Joey Comunale case opens the season, the series also covers other high-profile New York crimes. Episode 2 focuses on the 1998 disappearance of Irene Silverman, an 82-year-old socialite, and the mother-son con artists Sante and Kenny Kimes who were convicted of her murder despite her body never being found. Episode 3 covers the 2010 death of fashion designer Sylvie Cachay at the Soho House hotel, for which Nicholas Brooks, son of an Oscar-winning composer, was convicted. Episode 4 looks at the Central Park jogger case and the serial attacker Matias Reyes. The season finale reflects on the September 11, 2001 attacks through the eyes of first responders.
All episodes of Homicide: New York Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix for viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions where the service is available.
Also Read: Homicide: New York Netflix Guide – What to Know Before Watching the True Crime Series
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