3 People Arrested In Fatal 2013 Long Island Home Invasion
FLANDERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- After nearly three years, arrests have been made in the murder of a 21-year-old Long Island college student.
Demitri Hampton was attending Suffolk Community College and had plans to join the military when his life was cut short during a home invasion in Flanders in January 2013.
Detective Lt. Kevin Beyrer said Hampton was shot in the chest and died trying to protect his family.
Michael Parrish, 26, of Coram; Danielle Hall, 39, of Calverton and Corry Wallace, 40, of Riverhead were arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder in Hampton's death.
"He was just in the house playing video games when these people broke into his house," Beyrer said. "He was just defending his house and defending his family and by all indications there was no reason for them to have targeted this young man."
Beyrer called Hampton an innocent victim.
"There's nothing in his past that suggests that he would have attracted this attention to himself," Beyrer said. "He was a beloved member of the community, it was a real tragedy."
The victim's brother, Jamal Davis, said his family is relieved to hear of the arrests, but are still trying to make sense of the killing.
"We didn't have a clue of who these three people were," Davis said, adding the arrests have brought "some type of closure, not closure all the way because we still don't have the answers why."
The suspects pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Wednesday at Southampton Town Justice Court in Hampton Bays. They are being held without bail.