Taxi company worker William Donahue found slain in his Bohemia office, police say
Investigators at the scene of a homicide at 606 Johnson Ave. in Bohemia on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. An employee of McCab's Taxi Co. found co-worker William Donahue, 30, dead of an apparent stabbing in their office, authorities said. Credit: James Carbone
A Stony Brook man was killed and his body found inside a taxi office in Bohemia after police responded to a 911 call there Tuesday morning, Suffolk County police said.
An employee of McCabs Taxi Co. discovered co-worker William Donahue, 30, dead from an apparent stabbing about 6:45 a.m. in their office at 606 Johnson Ave., which houses several businesses, authorities said.
Homicide Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer said police believe Donahue was killed sometime overnight, and that he was the only employee working at that time. It was too early in the investigation to determine the motive, Beyrer said.
Cab company management is cooperating, he said.
A man who answered the company's phone at another location declined to comment.
Office tenants arriving for work found their way barred by police, and they began calling each other and asking police to find out what happened.
Marianne Lobasso, who owns a company that had been located in the same hallway as the cab office, said her employees would knock on the McCabs door -- it was always locked -- but could "never" get a cab from there.
She often saw the company's vehicles parked outside and taxi employees smoking, said Lobasso, who months ago moved her office to a Ronkonkoma location owned by the same landlord.
"You never saw the cabs leave," she said. "It was just very mysterious."
A tenant whose office is a few doors from McCabs said he talked to a police officer knocking at the taxi office door last week when an employee or former employee was outside the building demanding to be paid.
"He just said he has no jurisdiction over paychecks," said the tenant, who asked not to be identified.
Some other tenants said they were not concerned about their own safety because they believe the killing was targeted. They said the building doors have keypads with codes needed to open them.
Donahue's family could not be reached.
On his Facebook page, Donahue said he started working as the manager and dispatcher at McCabs in February 2014. He posted photos of himself and his dog Julie, video of two dogs romping together in a yard deep in snow and his face on a $100 bill.
Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-8477.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
