Brother of Coram shooting victim held without bail
Dimitri Robert is led out of the Sixth Precinct in Selden for arraignment Wednesday. Credit: James Carbone
A Suffolk judge ordered a Coram man with an extensive criminal record held without bail on a murder charge Wednesday in the shooting of his 17-year-old brother the day before outside their family's Coram home.
Dimitri Robert, 27, faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his 17-year-old brother Devontay Robert. He was arraigned Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip before Judge James F. Matthews.
Robert, who has no known address, shot his younger brother at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday as the teenager sat in the front passenger seat of a car outside the home on Judith Drive, Suffolk police said. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
Suffolk police officers from the Sixth Precinct had responded late Tuesday afternoon to a report of a man at the home threatening his mother and other family members with a gun. When the officers arrived, they saw Robert holding a gun and his younger brother sitting in the passenger side of a vehicle parked in front of the home, officials said. Robert ran toward the driver’s side of the vehicle and shot his brother in the head, prosecutors said.
Robert dropped the weapon and attempted to flee but the officers apprehended him, prosecutors said.
Devontay Robert graduated from Longwood High School this year, a spokeswoman for the Longwood Central School District confirmed.
“The Longwood School community is saddened to learn about the tragic passing of one of our 2019 graduates, Devontay Robert,” the district said in a statement. “Grief counselors are available for those who need assistance during this difficult time. We share our deepest heartfelt condolences with his family and loved ones.”
Dimitri Robert has an extensive criminal record, prosecutors said, including multiple felony drug charges. He pleaded guilty in 2013 to criminal possession of stolen property, a felony. Prosecutors said Robert also once threatened a person with a shotgun.
In court Wednesday, Robert, wearing a jail-issued white jumpsuit, seemed visibly upset as he stood before Matthews. His attorney, Richard Stafford of Bohemia, said Robert was “crying and sobbing” during his court appearance.
Stafford said he has not spoken at length about the case with his client.
“He loved his brother,” Stafford said. “He did not want this to happen.”
Robert is scheduled to return to court Monday.
