Police found John Parisi unresponsive inside his apartment at 339 Harbor Rd. at about 8 a.m. April 10, after a 911 caller said he had hit his head on the table and was knocked unconscious, according to a police source. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A developmentally-disabled man who died in April after he and his roommate fought over McNuggets inside their community residence has been ruled a homicide victim, according to a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.
John Parisi, 45, died of sudden cardiac arrest following blunt impact to his face and torso, with hypertensive cardiovascular disease listed as a contributing factor to his death, according to the medical examiner's office.
Police found Parisi unresponsive inside his apartment at 339 Harbor Rd. at about 8 a.m. April 10, after a 911 caller said he had hit his head on the table and was knocked unconscious, according to a police source.
Parisi's roommate, Arben Klobocista, 37, who authorities say is also developmentally-disabled was initially charged with third-degree assault. "I punched him just two times," Klobocista told police, according to the criminal court complaint against him.
"He said (Parisi) was trying to take his McNuggets," a law enforcement source familiar with the case said.
Klobocista, who was released on his own recognizance in April, has since been sent to a psychiatric hospital following a court-ordered exam, the source said. He's slated to return to criminal court on the assault case on Thursday.
It's not clear what additional charges he may face, and the law enforcement source said prosecutors will need to look at his state of mind, the extent of his developmental disability, and Parisi's health before seeking appropriate charges.
"It's going to be hard to prove a state of mind on someone who doesn't even know he did something wrong, and who may not even know or understand the whole weight of this whole situation," the source said.
Prosecutors would need to present their case before a grand jury, but manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide would be a more likely result than murder charges, and even those charges might be a stretch, the source said.
Peter N. Spencer, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan, said that prosecutors are still investigating the death, and are awaiting a full update on Parisi's autopsy results.
The medical examiner officially ruled his death a homicide on Friday.
"Once we receive the full autopsy report, we will examine it thoroughly and determine how to proceed," Spencer said.
Parisi's address is the site of a row of townhouse apartments, several of which house clients of social services provider Volunteers of America. Parisi was one of the provider's clients, a spokeswoman for the organization confirmed back in April.
Parisi's brother, Pete, declined comment on Wednesday afternoon.