Man Fatally Stabbed at Long Island CVS on Christmas Wasn’t Supposed to be Working, Brother Says

A CVS employee who was stabbed to death while at work on Christmas was filling in for a coworker that night, according to his brother.

Edeedson Cine, 23, was stabbed in the chest at a CVS in Lindenhurst, N.Y. on the night of Dec. 25, according to police. Authorities who responded to the scene at about 6:50 p.m. that night found Cine, who was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

On the night of the killing, Cine was covering for a friend, his brother told News 12 Long Island.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the suspect fled the scene on foot. According to reports from News 12, The New York Times and CBS News, police subsequently arrested John Pilaccio, 43, in connection with the stabbing.

Pilaccio is charged with second-degree murder, per the reports, which cite police. News 12 reported that he pleaded not guilty.

“It appears this poor kid went to work on Christmas, and he was assaulted while he was working behind the counter in the store,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told CBS.

News 12 and Newsday, citing court documents and prosecutors respectively, reported that authorities allege that Pilaccio entered the store and attacked Cine.

“The first thing [Pilaccio] did when he got up to the cashier … unfortunately was to attack him,’ Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told Newsday. “The crime is captured on the video.”

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Cine’s father, Edeedson Sr., spoke to the New York Post about his son.

“He was the kind of person who would step in front of a bullet for anyone,” he said. “He would volunteer for the tough assignments. He was simple, and I loved that about my son.”

A GoFundMe to benefit Cine’s family has raised over $90,000.