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Suspect In Staten Island Engagement Party Killing Arrested In Chicago


By

Jen Chung

Published Mar 20, 2012

Modified Mar 20, 2012


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Redinal Dervishaj

 


By

Jen Chung

Published Mar 20, 2012

Modified Mar 20, 2012


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The suspect wanted in the killing of a Staten Island man at his own engagement party was arrested in Chicago. Redinal Dervishaj was "tracked there by members of the New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task force and NYPD detectives, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff's office," sources told the Staten Island Advance. And the Daily News reports, "One source said Dervishaj has relatives who live in the area."

Antonio Lacertosa had been celebrating his engagement at España Restaurant in Annadale. A fight broke out after Lacertosa's brothers had gotten kicked out of the restaurant and retaliated by urinating against the wall of a restaurant. Lacertosa went outside and was stabbed around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning during a melee; a cop who saw surveillance video said, "The video was like a WWF Royal Rumble...People were being tossed on top of cars; it was crazy."

Apparently the restaurant manager tried to shoot at Lacertosa and his brothers, but his gun's trigger jammed. According to the Post, "Dervishaj then stabbed Lacertosa in the torso, killing him in front of his horrified fiancée, the sources said." Also: "In 2007, Dervishaj went with a fellow Albanian gangster to a man’s house in Queens, threatening to kill the man’s family if he didn’t cough up $20,000. The man refused, instead shooting Dervishaj in the arm and killing his partner with a .357 Magnum. Dervishaj pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and was sentenced to time served, a law-enforcement source said. The violence runs in the family. Dervishaj’s brother, Plaurent Dervishaj, 39, is wanted in Albania for allegedly murdering at least four rival gang leaders, including one with an anti-tank weapon. Albanian law-enforcement officials declared Plaurent Dervishaj their most wanted fugitive."

It's believed that Dervishaj will be extradited to Staten Island this week.

Tagged

antonio lacertosa

engagement party murder

killing

Redinal Dervishaj

staten island


Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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