Homeless man indicted in fatal beating of Lindenhurst vape shop owner

A homeless man has been indicted in the May 2021 fatal beating of a Lindenhurst-based vape shop owner, prosecutors announced Monday.

Yoel Atzmon, 44, faces murder in the first-degree, two different counts of murder in the second-degree, criminal mischief in the second-degree, false personation and possession of burglar tools for the death of Kinshuk “Mickey” Patel, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Atzmon was held without bail by judge Richard I. Horowitz at his arraignment.

On May 19, 2021, Atzmon used a blunt object to kill Patel, 33, prosecutors said. Patel of Babylon, who owned Dapper Smoke Shop on 40th Street near Sunrise Highway, was found in his store, and later pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, Suffolk police said at the time.

On June 15, Atzmon was arrested for a different crime in which he threw rocks through four windows of a closed deli, the district attorney’s office said. 

According to the felony complaint provided by the district attorney's office, Atzmon’s arrest in the death of Patel is based on, among other evidence, surveillance video and DNA and fingerprints recovered from the scene. 

“It is alleged that this defendant is responsible for the brutal beating of an innocent business owner found dead in his own shop,” county District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “We will seek justice on behalf of the victim and his family, and make sure that this defendant is held responsible for this callous and brazen act.”

Atzmon's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.