By:Karenlyn Barone
The ceremony was held at the Nathan L.H. Bennet Pavilion of Town Hall in Hempstead, and was presided over by Town Supervisor Kate Murray. The audience was full of police dignitaries, town and village officials, and the families of the honorees, but what the detectives didn't know was that their biggest fan was on hand for the ceremony. Caryn Battaglia, Anthony's widow, sat in the back of the room, proud to lend her support and show her appreciation as well.
"I have the utmost respect for them," Battaglia said. "This honor is so well deserved."
The detectives formed a core team investigating her husband's Sept. 18, 2003, murder. Anthony Battaglia was walking home from the Lynbrook train station at around 11:30 p.m. when, police say, he was accosted by robbers. He put up a fight, but was beaten, shot and stabbed by the robbers, who then drove away, police said. Though he was mortally wounded, Battaglia managed to crawl to his back door, where his wife found him unconscious. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Five months of detailed police work followed, which included interagency cooperation and tips from the public. "They worked so hard on the case," Battaglia said. "There were so many different leads to follow, and they were relentless. They just never quit, and through the months of investigation, they always kept me informed."
Everything came together Feb. 5, when police arrested four men and one woman, all from Freeport, and charged them with Battaglia's murder. Two of the suspects were charged with first-degree murder as well as first-degree attempted robbery, and may face the death penalty. Police said that Nelson Zuniga, 19, shot Battaglia and that Omar Delarosa, 18, stabbed him. Janny Paez, 20, Marina Musso and Fernando Moronta, 20, were all charged with second-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery.
On the day of the arrests, the detectives woke Caryn Battaglia with an early-morning call. When she picked up the phone, a detective asked, "Got a minute? We're in front of the house."
Battaglia remembers that when she opened the door a moment later, Aponte said matter-of-factly, "We got them - all of them."
Aponte, McGinn and O'Leary then gave her a rundown of the suspects. The detectives wanted to give her the news in person.
"That's how they were from the very beginning," Battaglia said before the ceremony. "When they came over the morning of the arrests, they were sensitive to the fact that they didn't want me to hear it from any other source. They always respected me and my family and what we were going through at the time."
The ceremony included words of praise from Murray and thunderous applause, but the most touching moment was when the detectives, standing to receive their citations, spotted Battaglia in the audience. The glances of respect and admiration - in both directions -spoke volumes.
"I owe them so much," Battaglia said. "They never quit, and I never quit believing in them. There were so many times when they kept me strong."
Aponte, McGinn and Laursen were able to spend only a few moments with Battaglia after the ceremony before they had to leave - they were on another case. O'Leary was unable to attend.
"I am so glad I came here tonight, " she told the detectives.
"This is great," said Aponte. "But Caryn being here made it even better."
The suspects have all been arraigned, according to the Nassau County district attorney's office. The next step in the case is a conference date, scheduled for Oct. 1.
