Death over a beer at a winery in Queens, New York: victim's mother asks not to close the case

Controversy grows after the death of Dylan Marino, a young alleged beer thief stabbed by a warehouse employee in Queens (NYC) early Tuesday morning.

The mother of the 21-year-old victim, who asked not to be identified, is demanding prosecutors pursue the case after it was announced that Netesh Netesh, a worker at the Mini Mart on Queens Blvd and 64th Road, was released without facing charges, claiming he acted in “self-defense.”

The Queens district attorney’s office confirmed that the employee was released as it continued its investigation into the fatal confrontation that occurred during a dispute over stolen beer at the bodega in Rego Park around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Marino was pronounced dead after being taken to Elmhurst Hospital.

According to police, Marino came in, took a beer from the refrigerator and left without paying. It is unclear what happened next.

“He stole a can of beer… a beer,” he lamented. Daily News Marino’s mother. “They were on the street and my son turned around… I have spoken with a lawyer [y] “That’s not a threat, turning around.”

During the fight Netesh stabbed the would-be thief with a knife and fled, said Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the Bodegas Unidas de América (UBA) trade union organization, at a press conference yesterday outside the store. “He didn’t leave this warehouse to kill anyone… He was robbed. He went out to claim what he thought was his. [y] was attacked. His life was in danger and he had a knife that we believe he used to defend himself.”

Marino’s mother rejected the claim of self-defense. “[Netesh] “He followed him and killed him in the street,” said the devastated woman. “[Marino] He was not armed, the police are telling me, and I know my son, I know for a fact that he did not have a weapon. He was unarmed… That is not self-defense… They killed him over a beer in cold blood.”

Warehouse workers are “prepared to do whatever it takes to protect our lives and our businesses,” Mateo said.

Marino had three previous arrests in the city. Most recently he was caught stealing $40 worth of merchandise from a grocery store in Brooklyn on March 27, the NYPD said. In 2023 he was also charged with assault in March and attempted robbery in October.

Those prosecuted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

In a similar case, in July 2022, Dominican José Alba was arrested for the fatal stabbing of Austin Simon (35) in an argument over payment for a bag of chips. He was acquitted days later when it was determined that he had acted “in self-defense,” in the midst of a controversy over insecurity in the city’s wineries.

At the beginning of his secret money trial last month, former President Donald Trump visited the warehouse where that confrontation took place, but Alba was not there, having sold the business and left New York to flee the violence.

The interior and surroundings of NYC warehouses are frequently crime scenes, both robberies and homicides, and attacks on employees.

Since the pandemic, many owners have chosen to reduce hours and lock up merchandise due to the rise in thefts in stores, pharmacies and warehouses. Many retail businesses have also closed in recent years around the country for this reason, leaving thousands of people unemployed and communities underserved, creating the so-called “food deserts,” that is, areas where it is difficult to get food. affordable or good quality fresh.

Thefts in New York City retail stores rose an alarming 81% during the first quarter of 2023, in many cases with violence. This was denounced by the group Collective Action to Protect Our Stores (CAPS-NY), which represents 5,000 establishments, including supermarkets and wineries, once again demanding that state congressmen approve laws against shoplifting.