Death at the Door
Who Killed Stephen Spina?
On Long Island Sound, about a 40-minute train ride from Manhattan, is the Village of Mamaroneck, a quaint residential community. In 2007 it was home to a well-known and much beloved 36-year-old named, Stephen Spina who lived in a multi-unit apartment building on a quiet, tree-lined street called, Richbell Road. Stephen was a handsome, athletic guy who loved sports. He was employed as a postal worker in the nearby village of Larchmont and he was a devoted single father who was on very good terms with his ex – he would check in with her at the end of each day to make sure that she and their 11-year-old daughter Skyler were okay. Stephen spent as much time as he could with his daughter and she routinely stayed with him on his days off from work. She had her own bedroom in his apartment.
Skyler has fond memories of her time with her father. “We used to go to Yankee games all the time, he had season tickets...”, remembered Sklyer. “He taught me how to drive stick when I was little. He helped me with homework… He was a great dad.”
Stephen Spina stood about 5’ 10”, he weighed around 130 pounds and by all accounts he was a charming and charismatic man who had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances and who never seemed to lack for female companionship. He had dated many women in the past – perhaps… simultaneously. But Stephen adhered to one strict rule, no girlfriends were allowed in his apartment when his daughter, Skyler was there.
In 2007 Stephen was dating a woman named, Tamara. On Monday, September 17, 2007, Stephen and Tamara began the morning together at his apartment where she had stayed the night. Tamara left for work at 8:00 AM. Stephen was not feeling well when he woke up, but they made loose arrangements anyway to meet for lunch. Later that morning, Tamara called Stephen’s apartment to firm up their lunch plans, but there was no answer. She called again and again – still no answer. It was around noon when Tamara decided to drive over to Stephen’s apartment. She entered the common door of the building and went up to the second floor to Stephen’s door. She knocked, but there was no answer. Now concerned, Tamara summoned the building superintendent who arrived with a key. When he opened the door, they both stared in shock. Lying in a pool of blood was the lifeless body of Stephen. Tamara jumped forward and started CPR, but the superintendent recognized that her efforts were futile, and he pulled her back and escorted her away from the apartment where he called police. Once police arrived, they cleared the apartment to make sure that no one else was inside, and then confirmed that they had a homicide on their hands. The county’s forensic investigative unit began an investigation along with Mamaroneck Police. As part of that investigation, they spoke with Stephen’s neighbors. One of them recalled seeing Stephen leave his apartment around 9:30 AM, walking toward the lot where he parked his car. That witness did not see Stephen return, but he obviously returned at some point before 12:15 PM when Tamara and the superintendent went to check on him.
One of the detectives that responded from the Mamaroneck Police Department that day was shocked when he arrived on the scene. He had seen gruesome crime scenes before – that was not the problem. As it turned out, Detective Dave Castarella and Stephen Spina were friends. Spina was active in local baseball and softball where he served as an umpire, and he regularly played ball with several of the police officers from Mamaroneck, including Castarella.
Spina’s cause of death was found to be multiple stab wounds to his chest and back – police are not disclosing the number of wounds. Police also told APB Cold Case that there were some defensive wounds on Spina’s arm and thigh, leading them to believe that he was ambushed as soon as he opened his door.
Who could have killed Stephen Spina? That was the question facing police, and there were a number of theories surrounding a possible answer to that question.
· There had been a confrontation with a man who believed that Stephen was having a relationship with his girlfriend.
· Stephen also allegedly had an intimate relationship at one time with a woman who we will call Trudy who came to his apartment one day claiming that she was pregnant with Stephen’s child. It was reported that Stephen’s other girlfriend walked in on that conversation.
· Prior to Stephen’s murder, his car had been vandalized at his apartment complex. He mentioned that fact to his friend, Detective Castarella, who suggested that Spina make a police report. But as Castarella and other detectives would learn during the murder investigation, Tamara’s car had also been vandalized and notes had been left on her car. But apparently wanting to keep his private life to himself, Stephen did not disclose that fact to Castarella.
Police deduced that there could be motive from any one of these prior incidents – an angered boyfriend; a former girlfriend who may have been pregnant; and vandalism to Stephen’s and Tamara’s cars; and of course, was the vandalism tied to either of the other theories? Or could it have been some other disgruntled relationship? But one of the nagging questions that ate at Detective Castarella back in 2007 was, ‘why did Stephen Spina leave his apartment earlier that morning?’ He thought that the answer to that question would reveal a suspect. Was it to meet someone? Did he have a conversation or argument with someone? Did someone follow him back to his apartment?
At the time of Spina’s murder there were not any surveillance cameras covering the buildings or parking lots where he lived. It appeared that Spina had a cell phone and a landline, but the retrieval of information and the data details at the time were not what investigators can obtain today.
APB Cold Case asked retired Detective Castarella if he believed the notes that were left on the vandalized cars were from a female; or from a male on behalf of a female. Castarella told us, “…my theory on the homicide, there was somebody else involved. I can’t prove that. There’s no evidence that says that. I truly have a feeling from the evidence that there was a second person, a female party was involved, and a male party was there to assist in this, to take over.”
In the early weeks of the investigation detectives interviewed Stephen’s girlfriend, Tamara, and the man with whom he had a previous confrontation over an alleged affair; as well as the woman we’re calling Trudy who alleged she was pregnant with Stephen’s child. But none of them would agree to take a polygraph examination, even though they had initially been cooperative with police, at least to some extent.
Police are not reading a lot into the fact that the common entry door to Stephen’s apartment was bypassed. It appears to have been designed as a locked entry for the tenants in that wing, but over time, the locking mechanism did not work reliably. In fact, Tamara was reportedly able to bypass it when she went to check on Stephen that day. So logically, anyone could have entered the first door without a key or code.
It’s been 16 years since Stephen Spina was murdered, and while police have some theories on who may have killed him, they have been unable to make an arrest.
Lt. P. J. Trujillo of Mamaroneck PD is now in charge of the case. He told APB Cold Case that police believe the attacker was a male because of the violence at the scene and the number of stab wounds, and the fact that Stephen was overpowered. “It’s safe to say that the door was opened by the victim to someone that he knew”, said Lt. Trujillo. “As he opens the door, we assume that the assailant now comes in, and ambushes Stephen. Stephen has some injuries to the left side of his body, so you’re assuming the attacker is right-handed. It looks like Stephen, in a way, protects himself and kind of puts his arm and leg up and then falls to the ground and the left side of his body is exposed and that’s where some of the wounds were.”
Dave Castarella told APB Cold Case that even though he has been retired from policing for several years, he will always have a connection to this case. Castarella told us that he wants justice for his friend, and for Stephen’s family. He stays in touch with Sklyer from time to time, even meeting with him and Lt. Trujillo at Mamaroneck PD this past year to check in on the status of the investigation.
This is an active, open investigation for Mamaroneck police. They’re hoping that someone will have information that can help them solve this case. There is a reward of up to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Stephen Spina.
If you have any information that can help Mamaroneck Police, call detectives at 914-825-8760
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