DA: Centereach man indicted in fatal shooting of woman
Anthony Santiesteban, 30, of Centereach, is led out of the Suffolk Police's Sixth Precinct last week for arraignment on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting late last month of East Patchogue resident Martina Thompson, 33. Credit: James Carbone
A Suffolk grand jury indicted a Centereach man who prosecutors allege was caught on video last month following a woman and killing her in a Coram shopping center, District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.
Anthony Santiesteban, 30, faces a second-degree murder charge in the Oct. 29 killing of Martina Thompson, 33, of East Patchogue, who was shot once in the face behind a garbage bin outside a restaurant on Middle Country Road, Tierney said in a news release.
Santiesteban was arraigned on the indictment Wednesday. Judge Steven Pilewski ordered him held without bail.
Police reviewed surveillance video from parking lot cameras that showed Santiesteban in a lengthy conversation with Thompson before following her behind the restaurant to an isolated fenced area, where she was shot, according to court records.
Prosecutors said he walked out of the fenced garbage bin area carrying a semiautomatic 9 mm handgun authorities suspect was used in the killing.
Investigators later found the loaded handgun in Santiesteban's bedroom while executing a search warrant Nov. 2 at his home on Oxhead Road, Tierney said. Santiesteban was also seen wearing a distinctive black jacket at the time of the killing, according to the district attorney.
Santiesteban was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon and faces 25 years to life if convicted on the murder charge. He faces a consecutive sentence of up to 15 years if convicted on the weapons charges.
“This defendant allegedly killed the victim in a brazen and thoughtless manner. Thankfully, he was caught with the murder weapon in his hand on high-definition video,” Tierney said in a statement.
Santiesteban’s attorney, John Manley, said the defense was still investigating the allegations.
“Mr. Santiesteban maintains his innocence and looks forward to us fighting this case on his behalf,” Manley said.
Santiesteban was previously convicted in a home invasion burglary and was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. He had two years left on his parole, according to Department of Corrections records.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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