Friday, June 24, 2011

Uniondale, NY: Apparent Murder/Suicide in Uniondale

A Long Island couple was found dead in Uniondale Sunday in an apparent murder/suicide, police said at a press conference held at Nassau County Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 21. According to police, the estranged couple had a history of domestic problems.

The bodies of Camille Pierre, 31, of South Floral Park and Emile Pierre Jr., 36, of Uniondale were found in a Nissan Quest minivan at the intersection of Warwick Street and Arcadia Avenue on June 19, authorities said.

Camille died of a gunshot wound, and Emile died of a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound, police said.

Police said they do not know for sure what sparked this fatal encounter, but said the couple was having custody problems. The couple had four children together, ranging in age from 14 months to 12 years old.

“That appears to be the motive,” Det. Sgt. John DeMartinis of the Homicide Squad said.

Unlawful encounters were not unusual for the couple, police said. Emile had been arrested numerous times for criminal contempt for an order of protection. His most recent arrest was June 7, DeMartinis said.

“Based on the history of the arrests and of domestic incidence reports, this couple clearly had a tumultuous and contentious relationship,” DeMartinis said.

He reported that alarm was first raised about the whereabouts of the couple in a phone call between Camille and her mother Sunday morning while Camille was headed to work at an assisted-living facility around 6:30 a.m. In the middle of the phone call, the victim’s mother heard, “Please don’t do this to me, BB. I have to go to work.” The call was then terminated, DeMartinis said. BB was Emile’s nickname.

“It’s not long before numerous resources in the Nassau County Police Department are used in this search to find our victim,” DeMartinis said.

After police found Emile’s abandoned car in the parking lot of Camille’s workplace on Merrick Avenue in East Meadow, an aviation squad, a canine squad and detectives were dispatched to search for the missing couple. Police discovered the minivan at around 3 p.m., DeMartinis said.

The couple, DeMartinis said, was not legally separated but living apart.

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