Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced today that Nicholas D’Agostino, a 21-year-old resident of Arizona, has pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and other associated charges. This comes after D’Agostino fatally shot Yusef Staine, a 20-year-old from Wyandanch, on February 16, 2022, while both individuals were aboard a Long Island Railroad (LIRR) train.
“This defendant took the life of his own friend, Yusef Staine, who was just 20 years old at the time of the murder,” said District Attorney Tierney. “While we were able to secure this substantial sentence of incarceration, there is no legal consequence that can repair the harm done to Mr. Staine or his loved ones.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, D’Agostino traveled from Arizona to Long Island on February 13, 2022, to meet the victim, Yusef Staine. On February 15, 2022, they, along with two other friends, took an LIRR train from Wyandanch to New York City. In the early morning hours of February 16, 2022, the victim and D’Agostino boarded an LIRR train back to Suffolk County. After missing their stop in Wyandanch, they then boarded a westbound train in Ronkonkoma.
After an exhaustive investigation conducted by the Homicide Squad of the Suffolk County Police Department, D’Agostino was finally tracked down and apprehended in Yonkers on May 18, 2023.
On January 29, 2025, D’Agostino admitted his guilt in the court for the charges against him. He pleaded guilty to one count of Murder in the Second Degree, which is classified as a Class A felony. Additionally, he also admitted to two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, which are classified as Class C felonies.
D’Agostino is scheduled to return to court on March 10, 2025, where he is anticipated to receive a prison sentence of 20 years to life. His legal representation includes Keith O’Halloran, Esq. and Tara Laterza, Esq.
Assistant District Attorneys Elena Tomaro and Michelle Chiuchiolo from the Homicide Bureau are prosecuting this case. The investigation was carried out by Detective Donald Truesdell from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad and Detective Ryan Miller from the Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Department.