New York

Twins Busted in Roommate Hammer Death, Water Dump After Tailgating Sparks High-Speed Chase Out of State

What to Know

  • Louis Iacono allegedly killed his and his twin's roommate with a hammer in late August; his twin, Vincent, allegedly helped hide the body
  • The body of Carmine Carini was found in a Jamaica Bay inlet days later; it was in blue tarp and weighted down with a cinder block
  • The twin brothers, of Brooklyn, were arrested in Indiana several days after the body was found following a high-speed chase

Twin brothers from Brooklyn have been indicted for allegedly bashing their roommate's head in with a hammer, killing him, then wrapping the body with tarp, weighing it down with construction materials and dumping it into a Jamaica Bay inlet, prosecutors said Thursday. 

Louis Iacono, 36, allegedly killed the roommate, 35-year-old Carmine Carini, inside their East 64th Street home sometime between Aug. 30 and 31. Carini's body was found a few days later, on Sept. 2, in the waters of Mill Basin inlet off Jamaica Bay. Prosecutors say it had been wrapped in blue tarp and weighed down with a cinder block and a bucket filled with construction materials. The tarp that enveloped his body was sealed with duct tape from his knees to his ankles, NBC 4 New York previously reported.

Iacono and his twin brother Vincent were allegedly caught on surveillance video carrying the construction materials into their apartment and later dumping the body, which had signs of massive head trauma. 

Prosecutors say the brothers were arrested in Indiana a short time after the body was found. They were initially stopped for tailgating, then took off, leading police on a high-speed chase for about 12 miles until they were caught at a Walmart store, prosecutors say. Three hammers were recovered from the trunk of their car and tested positive for blood, the investigation found. The brothers had been held in Indiana on local charges until their recent extradition to Brooklyn. 

Prosecutors didn't release details on a possible motive for the slaying, but NBC 4 New York previously reported Carini was the son of a mafia associate. Carini was released from prison in 2015 after serving time for a robbery conviction.

Louis Iacono is charged with second-degree murder. His brother is charged with first-degree hindering prosecution and both are charged with tampering with physical evidence. Louis Iacono was remanded without bail; his brother was held on $250,000 bail. Louis Iacono faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted; Vincent Iacono faces up to 25 years. Information on attorneys for the brothers wasn't immediately available. Both are due back in court in February. 

“This brutal murder and the calculated disposal of the body are truly disturbing," Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "Thanks to outstanding investigatory work, we have been able to charge the alleged perpetrators and bring them back to Brooklyn. We will now seek to hold them responsible for what they did.”

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