Dec 15, 2005 3:34 pm US/Eastern
Accused Cop Killers Charged In Bronx Hospital
Officer Daniel Enchautegui Was Killed In Botched Robbery Attempt
BRONX (AP) ―
Handcuffed to a wheelchair and locked in blank stare, an actor known for his roles as a wannabe mobster was
ordered held without bail Thursday in the killing of an off-duty police officer.
Lillo Brancato Jr., 29, who appeared on several episodes of "The Sopranos," was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge during a makeshift proceeding in a drab, sixth-floor conference room at a Bronx hospital where he was treated for wounds suffered during a shootout Saturday with the slain officer.
Steven Armento, 48, the alleged triggerman and accomplice in a botched burglary, was arraigned separately on a first-degree murder charge after being wheeled into the same room. He also was recovering from gunshot wounds.
The defendants, both looking haggard and unshaven, neither spoke nor entered a plea at the hearings before Justice Michael Sonberg. But in successfully arguing against bail, prosecutor Terry Gottlieb told the judge that they had done lots of talking following their capture.
The men, authorities say, told police that they had been together at a strip club before deciding to break into a Bronx
apartment in search of prescription drugs. Officer Daniel Enchautegui, who lived next door, confronted them in an alley.
Brancato admitted that Armento opened fire after Enchautegui identified himself as a police officer and ordered them to freeze, the prosecutor said. She added that Armento, after the shooting, told police, "I thought I'd shoot him first because I thought he was going to shoot us."
Enchautegui was hit once in the chest. The mortally wounded officer returned fire, striking Brancato twice and Armento six times.
Brancato's lawyer, Mel Sachs, argued that his client deserved bail because Armento fired the fatal shot. After the hearing, Sachs was joined outside the hospital by Brancato's parents, Lillo Sr. and Domenica, and the actor's younger brother Vincent.
"He's in physical pain, he's in emotional pain," Sachs said of his client. "He recognizes the tragedy here, but he's not
responsible for it."
The actor made his debut in 1993 in "A Bronx Tale," starring opposite Robert De Niro, and went on to appear in more than a dozen movies. He also had a recurring role in "The Sopranos" as an aspiring mobster.
Armento allegedly was a low-level Genovese crime family associate with a drug problem and a rap sheet dating to 1979. Brancato befriended him after dating his daughter.
Brancato's life went into a tailspin in the last year, with a pair of drug-related arrests and a disorderly conduct incident just two days before the shooting. He was arrested once for heroin possession, and authorities said he and Armento were hoping to score Valium in the Bronx apartment.
Armento could face life without parole if convicted; second-degree murder carries a sentence of 25 years to life. The
defendants were ordered to return to court on Jan. 9.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Police Investigating Slaying Of Hudson Valley Man
NYers Hunker Down In Face Of Blizzard Warning 1 min ago 
Stumble It!
Comments