Joseph and T.J. Occhiogrosso, 'brothers and best friends'

Family members and friends of Joseph and Thomas Occhiogrosso filled the left side of the courtroom in Mineola as they watched quietly throughout the nearly month-long trial.

Outside the courtroom, close relatives talked glowingly about the brothers, who were two of five siblings. According to a statement submitted by the victims’ family, Joseph and Thomas were not just brothers; they were best friends. 

“To know either of these young men was to love them,” the family wrote. 

Joseph turned 28 on July 6, 2009, a little more than a month before his death on Hempstead Turnpike. His family said he was a “generous and charismatic person who was known for his loyalty, dependability and love of his family and friends.”

Joseph worked at the restaurant formerly known as Pizza Kings in East Meadow from his days as a teenager up until his mid-20s. He eventually became an apprentice at Connelly and Sons Plumbing in East Meadow. 

Joseph earned his official Plumbers Union Pin shortly before his death. His pin was presented posthumously. 

What Joseph was most lauded for was his care of his 81-year-old grandmother, who has Parkinson’s disease — and who, despite being confined to a wheelchair, sat in on every day of the trial.

“Joey sacrificed much of his personal life to be his grandmother’s lifeline,” the family stated. “Not many young men in their twenties would do what he did.”

Joseph was also described as a doting uncle to his three nieces. He enjoyed playing golf and softball, as well as watching his beloved Yankees and spending free time with his family and friends. 

Thomas, known as T.J., turned 27 on Aug. 10, 2009, just two weeks before his death. He was remembered as a devoted husband and father who lived in Riverhead with his wife, Erin, and his daughter, Cecilia, who was just 2 when her father died. 

Thomas was a member of the U.S. Navy, and became a military police officer and served during the war in Iraq. He was a volunteer firefighter for the East Meadow Fire Department, and coached his younger brother-in-law’s softball team. 

Thomas also organized a softball team for his brother and his friends. 

“T.J. was a born volunteer,” the family wrote. “He had a huge heart and would not think twice about helping another person. T.J. would give you his last dollar, get out of bed in the middle of the night to give a friend a ride home, and he never held a grudge.”

According to his family, Thomas had an optimistic outlook on life and always provided laughs. “He had a way of always looking at the bright side of things,” the family statement read. “T.J. was a family man who really enjoyed laughing and joking and just spending time with the people he loved.”