Crime & Safety

Roxen Road Defendants to Appear in Court Friday

Court date marks the first time the trio will appear in court together.

The three Rockville Centre teenagers who allegedly assaulted a resident on Roxen Road back in June are heading to court Friday.

William Moore, Matthew Diperna and Kevin Coyle have all been charged with second-degree gang assault — a C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. They are set to appear in Nassau County First District Court on Friday.

Previous court dates have been adjourned multiple times for the three defendants, but Friday marks the first time that the trio is set to appear in court on the same day.

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moore and Diperna, both 18, were arrested one day apart, mere hours from their South Side High School graduation. Coyle, also 18, was arrested three weeks later at his home after the Rockville Centre and Nassau County Police departments discovered his involvement through a joint investigation.

According to police, the assault happened when the wife of the victim was walking her dog on Nottingham Road and was verbally accosted by five to eight young men. She ran home and told her husband of the incident, and the two drove around the neighborhood looking for the men to demand an apology.

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They found the group on Roxen Road, which is where the assault took place, police said. Neighbors who heard the disturbance called police at 11:55 p.m. The men fled before police arrived and Nassau County detectives were called in to join the investigation.

The man was transported by Rockville Centre police to Mercy Medical Center where he was treated for broken ribs, multiple contusions and injuries to the face and jaw.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ Interested in Rockville Centre news, events, community bulletins, blogs and businesses? Sign up for the free Rockville Centre Patch daily newsletter and follow us on Facebook!
_______________________________________________________________________________________

John R. Lewis Jr., the attorney for DiPerna, told Patch in July that the his client is innocent and that the victim was responsible for the start of the physical altercation.

"It is my contention that the alleged victim was not looking for an apology, but started the physical altercation," he said. "... I believe these boys will be vindicated at the end of the day."

Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray spoke out after the incident, stating that he would not tolerate behavior like this in the village.

"I try to be a calm and reserved man, but I must admit that this outrageous assault has my blood boiling," Murray said. "I am infuriated that such a thing could happen in our village."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.