Surprise witness
Scotto’s kid to testify in Rackover trial
News anchor Rosanna Scotto’s 24-year-old son is the star witness in the Manhattan Supreme Court trial of a party boy accused of beating and stabbing a man to death after a Sutton Place apartment party, the Daily News has learned.
Prosecutors on Friday laid groundwork for the testimony of Scotto’s son Louis Ruggiero at the trial of James Rackover for the dismemberment killing of Joseph Comunale in 2016.
Ruggiero’s name has so far not been publicly disclosed in the case. But jurors Friday were shown pictures of Rackover (inset) and Ruggiero posing shirtless together. The pictures, extracted from Rackover’s iPhone, are aimed at establishing a relationship between Rackover and Ruggiero before Ruggiero takes the stand.
During opening statements in the trial last week, Assistant D.A. Peter Casolaro alluded to Rackover’s belief that he could trust Ruggiero.
“You’ll learn that the defendant admitted that he assaulted and stabbed Joseph to death and disposed of his body with [co-defendant Lawrence] Dilione to one of his closest friends whom he trusted and assumed incorrectly would remain silent,” Casolaro said.
Ruggiero was the “trusted” friend to whom Rackover confessed, The News has confirmed.
Rackover’s “surrogate father,” whom prosecutors say is really his companion and provider, is diamond dealer Jeffrey Rackover.
Ruggiero’s mom, who headlines “Good Day New York” on Fox 5, appears to be pals with Jeffrey Rackover.
Scotto, 60, and the elder Rackover, 58, are often photographed together at events, and Scotto posted an Instagram photo with him on February 2015.
At a pretrial hearing, the lawyers and judges referred to Ruggiero as “L.R.” to try to conceal his identity.
Rackover, 27, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Comunale inside his fourth-floor E. 59th St. apartment at the Grand Sutton, where Jeffrey Rackover also lived.
The killing came after a night of drugging and drinking on Nov. 13, 2016.
Rackover’s co-defendant, Dilione, 30, will be tried separately.
Rackover and Dilione allegedly hauled Comunale’s bloodied and battered body to a shallow grave in Oceanport, N.J. where they drenched it in gasoline and lit it on fire.
Ruggiero, the grandson of former Gambino mob family boss Anthony Scotto, is expected to take the witness stand next week.