The unsolved murder of lifelong Mamaroneck resident Stephen Spina has left people rattled since the discovery of his body on September 17, 2007. More than eight years later, the case has caught the attention of the Crime Watch Daily show producers. Crime Watch Daily, a new show aimed at bringing small town mysteries to national headlines, will feature the Spina murder case during its program on Wednesday, January 13.
Spina was found dead in his Richbell Road apartment by his girlfriend at the time, Tamara Acevedo. For the past eight years there have been no arrests made and few leads. Rich Carroll, the lead detective for the case, says that the two biggest frustrations in the case are an absence of witnesses and a crime scene lacking in strong evidence.
The case has remained active since 2007, slowing down a bit after the first few months with no leads, but police officers have turned it up a notch in the past three to four months in pursuit of new information. Carroll declined to give any information on the lead.
“I don’t expect a phone call saying this person did it,” Carroll says about what he anticipates after Crime Watch Daily airs.
Christine Foley, Spina’s sister, said she is just hoping to continue drawing attention to her brother’s case.
“Our main purpose is to keep his name out there in the media so people don’t forget about him and also to hopefully bring in tips about his murder,” says Foley.
The show will feature interviews with Foley, Carroll, and Spina’s daughter Skylar, who is now 20 years old. “It was a much more difficult interview than I had anticipated,” says Foley. “Having to remember where I was at that exact moment and all of those emotions really came back in that interview.”
Spina’s family is offering a $40,000 reward for anyone who has information on the murder. “Our family just needs closure,” she says. “We want to see justice served, so it would really mean a lot.”
The Crime Watch Daily episode featuring Stephen Spina’s case will air tomorrow on Channel 11 at 2 pm in Westchester.
