NEW YORK — A man accused with “Sopranos” actor Lillo Brancato Jr. of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer during a burglary has been convicted of murder.
Steven Armento, 51, faces a possible sentence of life in prison without parole after jurors found him guilty Thursday of first-degree murder while committing a felony in the Dec. 10, 2005, death of Daniel Enchautegui. Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 14.
Armento and Brancato broke into a basement apartment to steal prescription drugs after a night of drinking at a strip club, according to investigators. Enchautegui, who lived next-door, confronted them after hearing noises in the apartment.
Prosecutors said Armento fired at the 28-year-old officer with a .357 Magnum, hitting him once in the heart. The dying officer fired back and wounded both men.
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A nurse’s aide testified during the trial that Armento bragged from his hospital bed that he would be “a king in jail” for killing a police officer.
Brancato, 32, who appeared in the 1993 movie “A Bronx Tale” with Robert De Niro as well as “The Sopranos,” is scheduled to be tried on second-degree murder charges next month.
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