A Center Moriches man who admitted to killing his landlord in 2006 and throwing the body in a cesspool was sentenced to 21 years in prison Monday morning.
Jaime Rosario, 39, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in June. The victim, Nicolo Caietta, 59, of Mastic Beach, had been missing for nearly two years before police discovered his remains in the backyard cesspool of his home.
Rosario had been renting a room in Caietta's house and police said he admitted to hitting his landlord in the head with a baseball bat, putting the body in a closet overnight and then hiding the body in the cesspool.
Rosario declined to speak in the Riverhead courtroom Monday morning. His attorney Jason Bassett of Central Islip described Rosario as a gentleman and cooperative.
Caietta was a retired landscaper and an Italian immigrant. His sister, Francesca Bevilacqua, said in court that Rosario should spend the rest of his life in jail.
