If you need help now, call 911 if it is safe to do so, or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Quick Exit
Real Crime Stories Memorial archive, documentary reporting, and public accountability
Case file

Rebecca Roth case file and memorial story

This documented case file remembers Rebecca Roth while organizing the public record, timeline, and reporting context surrounding the case in Moriches, New York.

On June 6, 2025, at approximately 12:30 AM, 33-year-old Rebecca Roth was sitting inside her parked vehicle in the parking lot of her home at the Heatherwood Apartment Complex (Tall Oaks Luxury Apartments) in Moriches, New York. Her former boyfriend, 41-year-old James Quininchetta of Ridge, arrived at the complex via a rideshare service to confront her over a perceived $1,500 debt. When Roth refused to pay, Quininchetta fired a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun seven times into her vehicle, striking her in the torso and killing her. Quininchetta fled the scene in a rideshare, discarded the weapon and ammunition, and returned to his home. Roth's body was discovered in the vehicle several hours later by her mother. Shortly after midnight on June 7, 2025, Quininchetta surrendered to police at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Seventh Precinct. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and weapons charges in January 2026, and was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison on March 11, 2026.

Rebecca Roth
Resolved case
Convicted
Moriches, New York • June 6, 2025 • Girlfriend
intimate partner violence gun violence former-partner-violence financial-dispute guilty-plea homicide-conviction post-separation-violence parking-lot-shooting

How to use this case file

Readers often arrive looking for the victim name, the case, the person charged, or the location. This page is meant to help you understand the memorial story, the documented timeline, and the public record available so far in one place.

Browse the full case archive, explore the warning signs index, see the cross-case timeline, or find domestic violence support resources.

Victim summary

This summary layer helps readers understand the person, the known case posture, and the documentary shape of the file before moving into the fuller reporting.

Case snapshot

  • Victim: Rebecca Roth
  • Age: 33
  • Gender: Female
  • Race / ethnicity: W
  • Relationship: Girlfriend
  • Offender: James Quininchetta

Location and dates

  • City: Moriches
  • County: Suffolk
  • State: New York
  • Incident date: June 6, 2025
  • Date of death: June 6, 2025

Case status and outcome

This section summarizes the documented court posture and procedural outcome reflected in the public record.

Status

  • Case status: Sentenced
  • Conviction status: Convicted
  • Source strength: 5 linked sources

Court monitoring

This section reflects core court-tracking details only when they are available in the public case record.

Docket information

  • Case status: Sentenced

Life, memory, and case context

Rebecca Anne Roth was a 33-year-old resident of Moriches, New York, born on December 1, 1991. Remembered deeply by her family and friends, she was a daughter whose life was cut short right outside her own apartment complex. Following her tragic death, her family gathered to honor her memory with services in West Islip, New York, before she was laid to rest.

Timeline of reported and documented events

  • June 6, 2025 Homicide of Rebecca Roth
    James Quininchetta travels via a rideshare service to the Heatherwood Apartment Complex (Tall Oaks Apartments) in Moriches, NY, to confront Rebecca Roth over a perceived $1,500 debt. After she refuses to pay, he fires a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun seven times into her parked vehicle, striking her in the torso and killing her. He flees via a rideshare and discards the weapon and ammunition. Roth's body is discovered in the vehicle several hours later by her mother. Timeline sources: - https://www.suffolkpba.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=951501&page=Law202620Order - https://patch.com/new-york/shirley-mastic/man-charged-murder-after-woman-found-dead-moriches-car-pd
  • June 7, 2025 Surrender and Arrest of James Quininchetta
    Shortly after midnight, James Quininchetta surrenders voluntarily at the Suffolk County Police Department's Seventh Precinct. He is subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Timeline sources: - https://www.suffolkpba.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=951501&page=Law202620Order - https://patch.com/new-york/shirley-mastic/man-charged-murder-after-woman-found-dead-moriches-car-pd
  • June 18, 2025 Grand Jury Indictment
    James Quininchetta is indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury on one count of Murder in the Second Degree (a Class A felony) and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class C violent felonies). Timeline sources: - https://www.suffolkpba.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=951501&page=Law202620Order
  • June 1, 2025 Arraignment on Indictment
    James Quininchetta is arraigned on the indictment charges before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei and ordered held without bail. Timeline sources: - https://www.suffolkpba.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=951501&page=Law202620Order - https://suffolkcountyda.gov/press-releases/ridge-man-pleads-guilty-to-murdering-former-girlfriend-over-1500-debt/
  • January 29, 2026 Guilty Plea
    James Quininchetta pleads guilty to one count of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei. Timeline sources: - https://suffolkcountyda.gov/press-releases/ridge-man-pleads-guilty-to-murdering-former-girlfriend-over-1500-debt/
  • March 11, 2026 Sentencing
    James Quininchetta is sentenced to 23 years to life in prison by Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei. Timeline sources: - https://longisland.news12.com/ridge-man-who-killed-former-girlfriend-over-1500-sentenced-to-23-years-to-life-in-prison - https://suffolkcountyda.gov/press-releases/ridge-man-sentenced-to-23-years-to-life-in-prison-for-murdering-his-former-girlfriend-over-1500-debt/

Fatal incident and reported circumstances

On the night of June 6, 2025, at around 12:30 AM, Rebecca Roth was sitting in her parked car in the parking lot of the Heatherwood Apartment Complex (Tall Oaks Luxury Apartments) in Moriches. James Quininchetta traveled from Ridge to her complex via a rideshare service with the intention of demanding $1,500 he claimed she owed him. After Roth refused to pay, Quininchetta used a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun to fire seven rounds into her vehicle. Roth was struck in the torso and died of her injuries. Quininchetta fled the scene using another rideshare service, leaving Roth in the vehicle, where her mother tragically discovered her body several hours later.

Aftermath and case developments

Following the shooting, James Quininchetta discarded his handgun and ammunition before returning home. Shortly after midnight on June 7, 2025, he turned himself in at the Seventh Precinct of the Suffolk County Police Department. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, led by Assistant District Attorney Eric S. Aboulafia of the Homicide Bureau, prosecuted the case. On January 29, 2026, Quininchetta pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei to Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. On March 11, 2026, Justice Mazzei sentenced Quininchetta to 23 years to life in prison.

Prevention context

The case illustrates how dangerous ex-partners can be even after a breakup, especially when they can easily get a handgun. A major warning sign was the suspect's willingness to take a rideshare to her apartment in the middle of the night armed with a semi-automatic weapon just to confront her over a debt. The hours that passed before her mother found her also point to the sudden, isolated nature of the attack, showing how quickly these incidents occur without any immediate help nearby.

Additional evidence and source material

Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.

Document record

CR59381---Waiver-Arraignment---CR59381pdf

verified RIDGE MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF EX-GIRLFRIEND
Open related material
Document or transcript

RIDGE MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF EX-GIRLFRIEND

James Quininchetta, 40, of Ridge, was indicted for second-degree murder for the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Roth, 33, in Moriches. The incident occurred on June 6, 2025, when Quininchetta allegedly traveled to Roth’s residence to collect a debt, and after she refused to pay, he shot her seven times from inside her vehicle. He then fled the scene, discarding the weapon and ammunition, which were later recovered by police. Quininchetta surrendered voluntarily the following day. He faces up to life in prison if convicted and is scheduled for court in July 2025. The case is being prosecuted by the Suffolk County DA’s Office.

verified RIDGE MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF EX-GIRLFRIEND
Open related material
News report

Ridge man who killed former girlfriend over $1,500 sentenced to 23 years to life in prison

A man was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years to life in prison for his killing his former girlfriend, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. James Quininchetta pleaded guilty in January to killing Rebecca Roth and was arrested the day after the fatal encounter.

verified Ridge man who killed former girlfriend over $1,500 sentenced to 23 years to life in prison
Open related material