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An autopsy revealed that a 6-inch stab wound pierced the heart of Rocco Rodden in front of an ax-throwing bar on Lafayette Street around 1:50 a.m., Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eun Bi Kim said on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The accused killer, Gianluca Bordone, 19, of Oyster Bay, was wearing a black sweatshirt with the word "courage" on the back when he was brought in for an arraignment early Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court, less than a 5-minute walk from where Rodden was killed. READ MORE....
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ORIGINAL STORY: A 17-year-old St. Joseph Regional High School student was killed and his older brother wounded in a stabbing in downtown Manhattan before dawn on Thanksgiving.
Rocco Rodden was rushed to Bellevue Hospital following the incident outside Live Ax, an ax-throwing bar and lounge in SoHo at 1:50 a.m. Nov. 23. He was later pronounced dead.
His 19-year-old brother was reported in stable condition at Bellevue with stab wounds to his torso.
The NYPD has charged a 19-year-old identified as Gianluca Bordone with manslaughter and assault.
Not much was known about him or what led to the incident at the corner of Lafayette and White streets. Police didn't specify the type of weapon used.
St. Joseph's Regional High School offered grief counseling and support services to students and staff.
Plans are to begin the school day Monday with an assembly and prayer service, a letter from St. Joe's says.
"We hope that this gathering will provide an opportunity for our community to come together, lean on one another, and find comfort in shared memories of Rocco," it says.
Rocco, a Class of 2025 junior, was an offensive lineman on the St. Joe's football team who lived in the Somerset County town of Warren.
Junior defensive lineman Vin Ferrara said he considered Rodden "more than a brother to me" and "family since Day One."Former Green Knight QB Luke Henrich said Rodden's personality could light up a room and "bring the energy" everywhere he went."You were one of a kind, and there will always only be one 'Cug'. See you on the other side kid. Love you forever Rocco❤️ #RIP #Cug”
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