Detrich Emanuel, 30, charged in death of Kristine Costantino in Middle Island

A 30-year-old man was arrested in the Bronx on Sunday and charged with the fatal New Year’s Eve shooting of a Middle Island woman, police said.

Suffolk County detectives charged Detrich Emanuel, who they said was homeless, with second-degree murder after locating him about 11:30 a.m. on 144th Street, police said. Emanuel is charged with the Dec. 31 shooting death of Kristine Costantino, 40, who police found inside her apartment near Longwood Middle School. 

She was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Police said at the time that the motive in the shooting was unclear and offered no new explanation Monday.

In an interview, Emanuel's lawyer, Huntington-based Matthew Tuohy, said his client was "maintaining his innocence. There's a lot of moving parts on this." 

Emanuel was remanded to custody after he was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Monday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on a separate drug charge Tuesday, Tuohy said. 

Emanuel was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and driving without a license on Sept. 25, according to online court documents. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

With Nicholas Spangler