Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in 2021 Shooting Death of Yonkers Man
September 25, 2026
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced today that a Connecticut man pleaded guilty to murder for the January 2021 shooting death of 24-year-old Yonkers resident Joseph Pichardo.
The defendant, Claismar Abreu Then, 32, of Hartford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty Thursday before Supreme Court Justice James McCarty in Westchester County Court to Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-1 felony.
He is expected to be sentenced to an indeterminate term of 20 years to life in state prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 14, 2027.
DA Cacace said: “The multi-agency effort led by the Yonkers Police Department, with assistance from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Hartford Police Department, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, and the Northern Connecticut Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, demonstrates the importance of law enforcement agencies working together to pursue justice for Joseph Pichardo, a victim of senseless gun violence. Following this horrific killing, law enforcement diligently investigated and swiftly apprehended the defendant, along with the murder weapon. We hope this guilty plea and the substantial prison sentence bring some measure of solace to the family and friends of Mr. Pichardo.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said: “This guilty plea finally brings a measure of closure to a homicide that took a young man’s life in our City several years ago. I commend the work of our Yonkers Police Detectives and our law enforcement partners who built this case, and I thank the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their continued work in ensuring the defendant was held accountable for this act of violence.”
On Jan. 17, 2021, at approximately 10:03 p.m., the defendant used a .9 mm semi-automatic pistol to shoot the victim multiple times, striking his head, torso and arm, on the first floor of an apartment building on Fairview Street in Yonkers, and fled the scene.
The victim and defendant were believed to be acquaintances, with the incident stemming from an ongoing dispute.
The Yonkers Police Department tracked the defendant to his home in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was arrested on Jan. 21, 2021. Police also recovered the murder weapon, a .9mm handgun, from the defendant’s home.
The Yonkers Police Department conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Hartford Police Department, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, and the Northern Connecticut Violent Crime and Gang Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Bureau Chiefs Jonathan Strongin and James Bavero, both of the Trials Division.
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