In November 2016, Joey Comunale’s night out in New York, New York started like any other. The 20-something was hanging out with his friends until the wee hours of the morning, but a terrible sequence of events led to a devastating outcome. Joey’s father, Pat, learned of his son’s disappearance, and days later his worst nightmare came true when Joey was found dead. CBS News’ ’48 Hours: What happened in the Sutton Place flat? focuses on Joey’s story and asks Pat to talk about what he’s been through. So, let’s find out more about him, shall we?
Who is Pat Comunale?
Pat is originally from the Bronx, New York, who later moved to Connecticut where he met Lisa, his future wife. Together they had two children: Joey and Alexa. Pat and Joye were quite close, with many describing them as best friends. They spoke to each other every day and met at least five times a week. Pat recalled how Joey loved to travel to New York to watch live sports. His son traveled from Stamford to hang out with some friends on November 12, 2016. When Pat couldn’t reach him the next day, he wasn’t initially too worried.
Pat said: “I know it sounds crazy, but in New York things don’t really start until late. It’s not uncommon for kids to come home at 6 a.m., and I figured he was asleep. But on November 13, when he called Joey’s phone, his friend, Stephen Naso, answered. Stephen told Pat that Joey stayed in New York and left his phone behind. Then Joey’s loved ones started scouring social media to find out who Joey had gone with the night before.
Eventually they were led to Lawrence Dilione, one of the guys Joey met at the club. Pat got his phone number and called him. Larry told him that Joey went to get cigarettes and didn’t come back to the building with him. However, security footage showed Joey and Larry returned after escorting three women at the party to their cab. Pat reported her son missing on November 14, 2016.
Authorities were eventually led to James Rackover’s apartment; this is where the party took place. There, Pat remembers telling the police, “’Don’t let the trash go. Be sure to search all the bags… “I just had a feeling if these guys are lying, there might be something in the trash.” His instincts proved to be right when incriminating evidence was found in the trash.
Eventually, Larry admitted what happened and claimed he and James had a hand in killing Joey and later disposing of the body. A friend of Larry’s, Max Gemma, was also involved in part of the crime. James, who had a criminal background, was an adopted son of Jeffrey Rackover, a famous jeweler. However, in a civil suit, Pat claimed that Jeffrey adopted James and gave him gifts in exchange for sex. The two met in 2013 and had lived together before James moved to his own apartment in the same building.
Where is Pat Comunale now?
Awaiting the verdict in James’ case, Pat said: “An animal attacks a human, he is euthanized without the fancy lawyers, without his day in court. These are three animals. Euthanizing them is probably what they need. There is no reason for them to mix in a free society. Eventually, James and Larry were convicted and put behind bars for killing Joey. As for Pat, he was successful in the security industry before selling his company for over $400 million. In 2018, he received an award for his contribution to the security industry. It appears that Pat still lives in Connecticut with his family.
Read more: How did Joey Comunale die?
