LI BRIEFS

RIVERHEAD/Man charged in death of woman found in motel

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman found in a room at the Budget Host East End, a motel in Riverhead, Suffolk police said.

Homicide detectives charged Douglas Rico, 44, who has no fixed address, with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Henrietta Sholl, 53, whose body was discovered Thursday, police said.

Sholl had been staying in the hotel for two days, and cleaning crews found her body Thursday morning, police said.

Police said there were no signs of a struggle or indications that anything had been taken from the room.

-- EMILY C. DOOLEY

MEDFORD/Motorcyclist who died after striking truck was local man

Suffolk County police have released the name of a motorcyclist who was killed when his bike struck a tractor trailer Friday night on Express Drive North in Medford.

Medford resident Philip Bellafatto, 27, was killed about 7:09 p.m. near Exit 64 of the Long Island Expressway when he hit the truck, which was leaving the Sam's Club parking lot, police said.

Bellafatto was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the tractor trailer, Charles Wilson of East Orange, N.J., was not injured.

A safety check was performed on the tractor trailer, and Bellafatto's motorcycle was also impounded for a safety check.

The investigation is ongoing.

-- EMILY C. DOOLEY

NATION/Glen Head native gets life in prison in Connecticut killing

A Glen Head native who killed a husband and wife during a robbery at their Connecticut jewelry store in 2005 was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of release.

A Bridgeport Superior Court judge sentenced Christopher DiMeo, 29, for shooting Tim and Kim Donnelly at their Fairfield store.

It's the second life sentence for DiMeo, a former Queens resident who also was convicted of killing Glen Head jewelry shop owner Thomas Renison in 2004.

DiMeo apologized to the Donnelly family during the emotional hearing.

A 12-member jury convicted DiMeo of capital felony and murder in the Fairfield deaths, but decided against recommending execution. Capital felony carries only two possible penalties: lethal injection or a true life prison sentence.

-- AP