Co-workers recall man slain in Central Islip

A co-worker of a slain Central Islip man said he missed his night shift at a Brooklyn seafood wholesaler hours before he was found dead in his home.

The men who gutted fish and loaded trucks at the M. Slavin and Sons plant alongside victim Kevin Pierson were shaken by the killing of a man they described as a "nice person."

Pierson, 38, was found stabbed to death in his bedroom Friday afternoon by a cousin who had gone to his house to check on him, Suffolk police have said.

At the Brownsville plant Sunday, employee Pedrof Sibrian, 36, of Jamaica, expressed shock at the news of Pierson's death.

According to a close colleague who would not give his name, Pierson had worked there for six or seven years, loading trucks that deliver to retail stores and restaurants around the city.

Pierson worked the overnight shift, said the colleague, who took over during the day. But Pierson never made it to work on the day police discovered his body in the bedroom of his apartment in the Park Row Condominium complex, around 2 p.m.

In his neighborhood Sunday, Yvonne Pierson, whom family members have identified as the victim's mother, spent the afternoon meeting with relatives and detectives.

Yvonne Pierson, who lives next door to Pierson's unit, declined to talk to reporters.

Police said there were no developments in the case Sunday. Detectives at the scene declined to release any information.

Neighbor Anthony Noel said he knew Pierson as an outgoing man who often threw parties and would invite his neighbors. He said residents are anxious to learn more about the case. "I would like to know what happened," he said. "People look out for each other here."

Other neighbors said Pierson's home frequently drew late-night visits from friends. Next-door neighbor Bob Sparks said he often saw Pierson washing his car in the driveway outside his home. "My comment was always, 'You can do mine next,' and he would laugh," Sparks said.

Sparks described the killing as "mysterious" because "the neighborhood's so quiet normally."

Former co-worker and friend Ben Ratley, 31, said when he last spoke to Pierson, about two weeks ago, they talked briefly about a harassment complaint Pierson had filed against his employer and he seemed "fine." "He felt like he was doing the right thing" by pursuing the case, Ratley said.

Last December, Pierson accused his employer of sexual and racial harassment, according to a federal complaint. He also pleaded guilty more than a decade ago to third-degree rape, a crime classified by state law as sex with someone incapable of consent, or sex between someone under 17 and someone 21 or older.