Brian Cordovano, of Ronkonkoma, sentenced to 30 years for killing a friend and another man over a loan

A Suffolk judge sentenced a Ronkonkoma man who admitted to a pair of killings to an agreed-upon 30 years in state prison Wednesday for what prosecutors said was a planned attack to steal from a friend who no longer wished to loan him money.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Stephen Braslow told Brian Cordovano, 50, that he will recommend to the state’s division of parole that he "never be released from jail" for what he called "close to the most brutal crime" he’s handled in three decades on the bench.

"I usually tell murderers when I sentence them that God should have mercy on your soul," Braslow told Cordovano as he handed down his sentence. "I can’t say that to you."

Cordovano, who had been charged with two counts of murder in the April 2022 shooting deaths of Ian Saalfield, 45, of Lake Grove, and Robert Julian, 59, of Selden, pleaded guilty last month to the reduced charge of manslaughter in each death along with robbery and weapons charges. Under the plea agreement, Cordovano will serve consecutive 15-year sentences for each killing, Braslow and Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder said.

Schroeder said Saalfield and Julian did not know each other, but they both knew Cordovano. The prosecutor said Saalfield had on multiple occasions lent money to Cordovano, a longtime friend, but had said he would no longer do that.

Instead, on the evening of April 25, 2022, Cordovano arrived at his friend’s house and asked for a ride, prosecutors and family said.

"Ian looked at me and said he would be right back," Saalfield’s wife, Erica, recalled for the judge. "That would be the last day that I saw or spoke to my husband."

2 men shot at close range

Schroeder said Cordovano had Saalfield drive him to Julian’s house, where Cordovano robbed them of money and stole jewelry before shooting them both in the head at close range.

"Imagine shooting your friend to death over a few dollars?" Schroeder said as Cordovano faced forward, showing no emotion.

The prosecutor said Cordovano then abandoned Saalfield’s Lexus at a parking lot in Holtsville, returned to the Selden residence, where the executed men were still inside, and left again in Julian’s car. That vehicle was later located at a Ronkonkoma motel, where Cordovano was found to have overdosed on drugs.

Braslow, who noted that Cordovano’s criminal record was 30 pages long with drug and robbery arrests, said Cordovano almost died that night, but God had other plans.

"God only takes the good people to his chest," the judge said. "He leaves people like you to pay for the crimes and the injustices that you've done in your life."

Schroeder said Cordovano's first arrest dated back more than 30 years to when he was 17. State prison records show Cordovano served three years from 1998 to 2001 at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in upstate Brocton for criminal sale of a controlled substance, and Braslow noted he served two more years following a drug possession conviction in 2012.

Speakers remember victims

The sentencing took place in a packed courtroom filled with Saalfield's and Julian’s families and friends.

Each of the speakers at the hearing detailed what they said was the generosity of the two men, with Schroeder noting their bodies were discovered by police in the home near a plaque declaring Julian "the most valuable member of his church." Schroeder credited Suffolk Police Det. Michael Repperger with "turning over every rock to find evidence" that led to an indictment in February 2023.

Schroeder said the investigation showed the killings were not a "foggy, drug-fueled act" but rather a "planned execution."

"And he executed his plan," the prosecutor said, noting that Cordovano killed the men in order not to leave any witnesses to the robbery behind.

Cordovano did not speak when given the opportunity by the judge. His attorney, Christopher Gioe, of Hauppauge, said his "heart and prayers" go out to the families of the victims.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier read a letter from Julian’s mother, who noted her son’s big laugh, devout faith and the times he lent her money and food when she had none of her own.

Saalfield’s mother, Karen Sepe, said her son was a devoted father who helped his kids with homework, coached their sports teams and told his mom how much he loved to watch his two sons and daughter grow.

"He had a soft heart," Sepe told the judge. "He could make you laugh hysterically and make you cry. He had an endless number of friends that loved him, a testament to his character."

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.