Steven Armento is a convicted cop killer serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the December 10, 2005 shooting death of off-duty New York City police officer Daniel Enchautegui in the Bronx. Authorities described Armento as a low-level associate of the Genovese crime family who had been cast out over his drug addiction. He was 48 at the time of the killing, and his accomplice that night was former Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato Jr., who had dated Armento’s daughter.1New York Magazine. Lillo Brancato Profile2CBS News. Former Sopranos Actor Brancato Gets Parole
What Happened the Night of the Shooting
Armento and Brancato had spent the evening of December 9, 2005 drinking at a Bronx strip club called the Crazy Horse. In the early morning hours, they went to a home on Arnow Place in Pelham Bay looking for Valium. The pills belonged to an acquaintance, Kenneth Scovotti, but Scovotti had recently died and the house was empty. Someone broke a window to get inside.1New York Magazine. Lillo Brancato Profile3The New York Times. Steven Armento Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder
Officer Daniel Enchautegui, 28, lived in the duplex next door. He had just come home from a shift at the 40th Precinct. When he heard the glass break, he called 911, told dispatchers he was a plainclothes officer and was armed, and went outside. Trial testimony described him shouting “Don’t move! Don’t move!” at the two intruders.3The New York Times. Steven Armento Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder
Armento, carrying a .357-caliber Smith & Wesson Magnum revolver, shot Enchautegui once in the chest. Enchautegui returned fire with his 9mm service pistol, striking Armento multiple times and hitting Brancato twice. Enchautegui was found on the pavement about a block away, taken to Jacobi Medical Center, and pronounced dead at 6:09 a.m.4NBC New York. Judge Sentences Cop Killer Steven Armento to Life5NYC Detectives’ Endowment Association. Daniel Enchautegui Honor Roll
Armento’s Criminal Record and Mob Connection
By the time of the killing, Armento had a long arrest record and a prior burglary conviction.6The New York Times. Did Suspects Know Victim Was an Officer Law enforcement identified him as a low-level Genovese associate who had been pushed out of the organization because of his drug problem.2CBS News. Former Sopranos Actor Brancato Gets Parole His own daughter, Stefanie Armento, called him “a thief” and “a junkie” in interviews, saying he had drunk away an inheritance meant for her and her twin sister.1New York Magazine. Lillo Brancato Profile
Brancato had dated Stefanie, which was how the two men met. Armento eventually let Brancato stay rent-free in an upstairs apartment at his Yonkers home, and their friendship came to revolve around drugs. “I always told Lillo that one of his idiot friends was going to get him in trouble… and it ended up to be my father,” Stefanie later said.1New York Magazine. Lillo Brancato Profile
The Trial and Life Sentence
Armento was tried separately from Brancato in Bronx Supreme Court before Justice Martin Marcus, with attorney William Flack representing him.7New York Post. Cop Killer Will Rot
The Prosecution’s Case
Prosecutors argued Armento knew he was shooting at a police officer. Jurors heard Enchautegui’s 911 call, in which he told dispatchers, “Be advised, I’m in plain clothes, black coat. I am armed, too.” Detective Lawrence Walsh testified about recovering the .357 Magnum down the block, with two rounds fired.3The New York Times. Steven Armento Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder8New York Daily News. Dramatic Testimony of NYPD Officer’s Last Words A witness named Andrea Bishop testified that while Armento was recovering from his gunshot wounds at Jacobi Medical Center, he boasted that killing the officer would make him “a king in jail.”
The Self-Defense Argument
Flack argued that Armento had no way of knowing the man confronting him was a police officer, since Enchautegui was in plainclothes, and that Armento fired believing he faced an armed civilian. Flack pointed to the 911 call as proof that Enchautegui himself understood he could be mistaken for a non-officer.3The New York Times. Steven Armento Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder Flack also alleged that three officers had shaped their testimony out of anger over the death of a fellow cop, a claim that reportedly angered police observers when the trial began.9New York Daily News. Murder or Self-Defense? Jury Gets Cop Killer Steven Armento Case
Verdict and Sentence
On October 30, 2008, the jury found Armento guilty of first-degree murder. Jurors accepted part of the defense position: they concluded he had not specifically intended to kill a police officer, but found the killing still met the threshold for first-degree murder.3The New York Times. Steven Armento Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder Asked afterward whether his client had reacted, Flack told reporters, “He didn’t say anything to me. Not a word.”10New York Daily News. Steven Armento Found Guilty in Bronx Cop’s Murder
On November 14, 2008, Justice Marcus sentenced Armento to life in prison without the possibility of parole.7New York Post. Cop Killer Will Rot His conviction was later reviewed on appeal in New York’s Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.11Caselaw – Findlaw. People v. Armento
What Happened to Brancato
Brancato, who was unarmed and did not fire the fatal shot, was tried separately in December 2008 on a second-degree murder charge under an “acting in concert” theory. On December 22, 2008, jurors acquitted him of murder but convicted him of attempted burglary.12The Guardian. Lillo Brancato Found Guilty13NBC Washington. Former Sopranos Actor Faces 15 Years for Burglary14CNN. Former Sopranos Actor Released From Prison
Armento remains incarcerated and will not be eligible for release.