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Joshua Roston, age 38 of Baldwin, received his conviction on Friday, Oct. 27 for the 2019 murder of Cemal ‘John’ Dagdeviren, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.
At approximately 7:20 a.m. on Jan. 14, 2019, Roston pulled up in his GMC SUV to the Pit Stop gas station, located at 1210 Grand Avenue in North Baldwin.
He asked the attendant to fill his tank.
After Roston received $22 worth of gas, he told the attendant that he wanted to pay inside the station with a credit card, only to change his mind once he was in the store, saying he needed to go to an ATM to get cash.
This is when Dagdeviren, age 59, arrived at work and took over for the attendant helping Roston, the DA’s Office said.
Dagdeviren walked Roston out of the store, explaining that the gas station across the street had an ATM where he could grab cash.
Instead of heading to the ATM, though, Roston took advantage of Dagdeviren’s turned back by getting in his GMC and backing up, bumping into the worker.
Dagdeviren walked around to the front of the car, knocked on Roston’s driver-side window, and grabbed onto the SUV’s front windshield wiper, positioning himself in front of the car.
That’s when Roston slammed the gas, the DA said.
He nudged the car forward slightly and then accelerated quickly, running Dagdeviren over and dragging his body for several feet, killing him.
The DA’s Office said that Roston’s car could be seen bouncing twice — once as the front wheels and again as the back wheels ran over the man’s body.
Roston fled to Pennsylvania and turned himself in days later.
“This was an unspeakable tragedy,” said District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.
“Rather than just pay his bill, Roston barreled John over in his SUV, dragged his body along the pavement, and quickly fled New York State.”
A jury found Roston guilty of:
- Second-degree murder;
- First-degree robbery, two counts;
- Second-degree manslaughter;
- Third-degree robbery;
- Leaving the scene of an incident without reporting; and
- Petit larceny, three counts.
He had previously been convicted of stealing gas from other Nassau County stations in April and December of 2018.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, Dec. 8, where he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
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