Police charge David Laffer, wife in quadruple murder at L.I. pharmacy; pill habit may be motive

On a winding road in Medford, N.Y., about two miles from the pharmacy where four people were killed over the weekend, a squad of police vehicles converged on a neat Cape Cod-style house on Wednesday morning.

Stacey Bohlert, who lives next door on Pitchpine Place, called her mother to say she thought a killer might be in the backyard. There were probably about 20 officers, in plainclothes and in uniform, said Peter Spano, who was doing siding work two doors down. It looked like a SWAT team, Mr. Spano, 52, said.

There was no apparent struggle or difficulty inside. The officers came out escorting a gaunt man, later identified as David Laffer, and arrested him in connection with the killings at the pharmacy, Haven Drugs, several law enforcement officials said. The crime appeared to have been the most severe example of a national epidemic involving drugstore robberies by prescription drug addicts.

Mr. Laffer, 33, has not been charged in the fatal shootings; he was taken to the Suffolk County police headquarters in Yaphank for questioning. Hundreds of tips came in after surveillance images of a suspect were made public.

The assailant came with a backpack, and inventory showed that the primary type of drug he stole that morning was hydrocodone, the main ingredient in Vicodin. More than 11,000 hydrocodone pills were missing, according to a law enforcement official who insisted on anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

The gunman also stole unspecified quantities of two other medications, promethazine and cheratussin, found in a popular recreational drug beverage called Purple Drank, the official said.

The burst of violence at Haven Drugs occurred shortly after 10 a.m., and the suspect was quickly labeled a “drug user” by law enforcement officials, who said no money was taken.

Detectives interviewed physicians who prescribe painkiller medication, as they sought to focus on people who might have an interest in obtaining pharmaceutical drugs.

A prosecutor in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for New York City re-examined prescription records that the office had in its possession, another law enforcement official said. Those records are part of continuing long-term investigations into prescription drug diversion, the official said.

Mr. Laffer’s name caught a prosecutor’s attention because he lived in Medford and previously filled hydrocodone prescriptions at Haven Drugs, the official said, adding that the office also learned that Mr. Laffer had a pistol permit. The official said Mr. Laffer’s wife, Melinda, had also filled oxycodone prescriptions, though there was no evidence she had ever filled them at Haven Drugs.

After comparing Mr. Laffer’s driver’s license photo with the images captured on the surveillance video at Haven Drugs, investigators in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor believed they had discovered a possible suspect, and passed on the information to the authorities in Suffolk County.

There are indications that Mr. Laffer had already come to the attention of the Suffolk authorities by then.

If Mr. Laffer had indeed become a chronic drug user who committed the killings, it would be a sharp, surprising turn for the young man. Four years ago, he and Melinda married at Giorgio’s on the North Shore of Long Island, after proposing to her at an Islanders hockey game. His proposal was broadcast on Nassau Coliseum’s large television screens.

But Mr. Laffer’s apparent addiction to painkillers led him to the low-slung interior of Haven Drugs, officials said.

More than 1,800 pharmacy robberies have taken place across the country over the last three years, though few if any involved mass killings. Last year, the Suffolk County Police Department recorded eight robberies of pharmacies in the area it polices, which excludes some towns in the county. So far this year, there have been four, including the one on Sunday.

Two customers were fatally shot, Jaime Taccetta, 33, and Bryon Sheffield, 71; and so were two employees, Raymond Ferguson, 45, a pharmacist, and Jennifer Mejia, 17, a high school student.

By Wednesday evening, the Suffolk authorities had not charged anyone in the robbery and killings. One investigator said the investigation was “ongoing,” and around 5:30 p.m., officers led Mr. Laffer, dressed in a white jumpsuit, from the back of police headquarters.

In a statement, the Suffolk County executive, Steve Levy, praised the police arrest and the work “to rapidly bring into custody an individual suspected in the heinous quadruple murder that took place just three days ago,” but he pointedly did not name the man. Mr. Levy also said he hoped the relatives of those killed “may draw a modicum of comfort” from the arrest.

Those who knew Mr. Laffer described him as energetic and kind. He was a fan of the Islanders and was extremely competitive in a local dek hockey league, playing goalie and defense with tremendous heart.

“He was very nice,” said Trish Bohlert, a neighbor who attended Mr. Laffer’s wedding. “He seemed very happy.”

Paul Rubell, a lawyer for COSA Instrument Corporation, said Mr. Laffer was a former employee, but declined to provide more details. The company produces and distributes measuring instruments.

Andrew Oliveri, 31, who played for four years with Mr. Laffer on a team called the Dragons, was incredulous that his name had surfaced in connection with the killings. Yet, Mr. Oliveri said he had heard a couple of years ago that Mr. Laffer “was starting to get into things he wasn’t normally doing.”

Ms. Bohlert said she heard that Mr. Laffer had been recently unemployed and that his wife had been jobless for at least a year. Mr. Spano was more direct in his appraisal of Mr. Laffer, saying, “He looked like he was somebody coming close to death.”

Prescription Records Search Brings Arrest in Long Island Pharmacy Killings - NYTimes.com

Melinda Brady & David Laffer
BY DAILY NEWS STAFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Jan. 2, 2009, Baiting Hollow, L.I.

Melinda, 27, met David, 31, while they were out to dinner with mutual friends about four years ago. The two hit it off instantly and have been together ever since.

On Nov. 22, 2006, while they were at an Islanders hockey game, David, who works in logistics shipping and receiving, proposed. To Melinda's complete surprise, he had been planning the engagement for more than a year and his proposal was shown on the large TV screens in the arena.

"It was quite overwhelming," Melinda said. "I was so surprised and everyone was watching."

The bride wore a gown with a cathedral-length train by Jasmine Bridal Couture. Her bridesmaids wore black-and-white strapless dresses and all carried combinations of white and red roses. Since David is Jewish and Melinda is Christian, it was important to the couple to hold an interfaith ceremony. This included a traditional Jewish chuppah, a unity candle, the blessing of the challah and scripture readings. Both Melinda's mother and father walked her down the aisle.

The ceremony and reception, both held at Giorgio's in Baiting Hollow, L.I., featured tall table centerpieces adorned with white and red roses at each table. The newlyweds danced to "At Last" by Etta James for their first song and handed out personalized mix CDs of songs that symbolized their relationship as favors for their 150 guests. The bride and groom shared slices from a four-tiered black-and-white cake topped with red roses. "The best part was just having my family together," said Melinda.

Melinda Brady & David Laffer - New York Daily News