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A cold, steady breeze moved through the crowd, a Long Island Rail Road train rolled over the nearby trestle, and grief hung heavy in the air. Through it all, Edeedson Ciné Sr. stood near the gazebo in Lindenhurst’s town square and spoke — steadily, gently and without anger — about the son he had just lost.
For over seven minutes, Edeedson “Eddy” Ciné Jr.’s dad thanked nearly everyone before him Monday night: the community, police detectives, town officials, educators, faith leaders and strangers who had shown up simply to stand with his family.
Flanked by his wife and their other adult children, he spoke not with bitterness, but with gratitude, even as he described the pain of losing his 23-year-old son who was fatally stabbed while working at a Lindenhurst CVS four days earlier on Christmas night.
“The outpouring of love, support, prayers and presence we have received has meant more to us than you could ever know,” Ciné said. “Your kindness has reminded us that we are surrounded by compassion, by care, and for that we are grateful.”
The candlelight vigil drew a large crowd of residents, friends and supporters four days after Ciné Jr. was killed during a robbery inside the CVS on East Montauk Highway. Police have said he was called in at the last minute to cover a shift.
VIDEO: Lindenhurst honors CVS worker killed on Christmas
A Lindenhurst man, John Pilaccio, 43, has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bail. Prosecutors have said the attack was motivated by money — that Pilaccio attacked Ciné Jr. after the CVS worker refused to obey his demand to hand over money.
Pilaccio is scheduled to return to court Wednesday.
Making Eddy the focus
But at the vigil, Ciné Sr. made clear that his son’s life — not the violence that ended it — was the focus.
“The pain of losing our son is beyond anything we could have ever imagined,” he said. “We are grieving not only who he was, but also who he had yet to become.”
Ciné described his son as fiercely independent from an early age — a child who insisted on tying his own shoes, a young man with strong convictions who “was not a pushover” and who lived with intention.
“He had a strong sense of right and wrong,” said Ciné, the director of revenue management at a local orthopedic medical group who also teaches at Hunter Business School. “And he wasn’t afraid to live according to what he believed.”
That strength, he said, was matched by a deep capacity for care. Ciné described his son as generous, selfless and quietly protective of others. Ciné Jr. was a young man who showed up without expecting recognition, his father said.
“It was very hard to scold our other children when he was around,” Ciné Sr. said, pausing. “Because he would stand up and say, ‘Dad, why?’”
Ciné also acknowledged colleagues and students who attended the vigil, noting how much their presence meant to his family. He thanked Mangano Family Funeral Home for assisting with arrangements and expressed appreciation for the Village of Lindenhurst and local businesses that reached out to help his family.
He also singled out Suffolk County police detectives, recalling the moment they first knocked on his door.
“You see it on TV,” he said quietly. “You hear about that knock. And then it happens — and everything changes.”
He thanked detectives for their compassion and professionalism, and for their devotion in “bringing his son justice.”
Ciné Sr.’s words carried a message rooted in faith and purpose.
“We don’t harbor any hate. We don’t harbor any ill will, because we believe in the faith that love conquers all,” he said. “I want you to know that we are moving on, and understanding and forgiving, so that we can find peace in our heart.
“If you are a parent, let them know that you love them. Eddy knew he was loved.”
Top: Eric Micallef photo
