Cops ID couple in apparent murder-suicide

Police have identified two people found shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Uniondale as a Floral Park woman and her estranged husband, who had a history of domestic strife.

Nassau police homicide detectives said the bodies of Camille Pierre, 31, and Emile Pierre, 37, of Uniondale, were found Sunday in a Nissan Quest parked on Warwick Street and Arcadia Avenue shortly after 3 p.m.

"It appears she succumbed to a gunshot and it appears he succumbed to a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot," said Det. Sgt. John DeMartinis of the Nassau Homicide Squad.

He said the couple had a "tumultuous" relationship, adding that Emile Pierre was arrested as recently as June 7 on a domestic violence charge.

It was unclear what triggered the fatal confrontation. But Nassau police said they became involved again Sunday morning when they received a call from Camille's mother, who said her daughter told her by phone that Emile Pierre was harassing her as she prepared to go to work at an assisted-living facility.

Nassau police responded to the home and found no one there, DeMartinis said. They launched a search including aviation, canine and plainclothes detectives and found a car belonging to Emile Pierre in East Meadow. But they later found the Quest containing both bodies in Uniondale, he said.

Neighbors of the couple in Floral Park said they had a volatile marriage that sometimes erupted into screaming matches. Some praised Camille Pierre as a devoted mother of four children.

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"She was a really nice person," said Russell Williams, who has lived on the block for 29 years. He said, "They were good neighbors."

Italo Tallini, who lived across the street from the Pierre family, said he had had friction with Emile Pierre in the past over common neighborly disputes.

"I'm shocked about this -- but they had their problems," he said. "You'd be sitting outside and you'd hear them screaming and yelling. I feel sad because it's terrible for anybody to die like that."

The four children were staying with relatives, who could not be reached for comment.

Neighbors said that Emile Pierre was skilled at plumbing, heating and air conditioning. He ran a company called Bee Cool Bee Warm, a firm that in some directories is listed at the couple's Arthur Avenue home in Floral Park and also in Westbury. Several neighbors said he had done plumbing jobs for them in their homes.

A recorded greeting on the company's phone says: "You've reached Emile Pierre of Bee Cool Bee Warm. Please leave your name and phone number and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."