Sound Beach Man Convicted in Mistaken-Identity Murder of Bohemia Father

Christopher Fernandez tracked what he believed was a stolen cellphone's location signal to a house on Smithtown Avenue in Bohemia, arrived before sunrise armed and with an accomplice, and ended up killing a 49-year-old carpenter who had nothing to do with the theft. A Suffolk County jury convicted Fernandez, 29, of second-degree murder on March 6, capping a case that prosecutors described as one of catastrophic, senseless mistaken identity.

Michael Hartmann had simply stepped outside his home at 605 Smithtown Ave. to smoke a cigarette. It was about 6:30 a.m. on November 2, 2022. By the time Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives arrived, Hartmann, a married father of four, was dead on his backyard deck.

Fernandez and co-defendant Oliver Schor, 23, of Miller Place, had tracked a cellphone signal they believed led to a thief's address. Prosecutors said they had the wrong house entirely. As the two men prepared to force entry through the rear door, they encountered Hartmann. Prosecutors said Schor opened fire, shooting Hartmann multiple times. Both men then fled in Schor's mother's car.

Evidence presented at trial also showed that Fernandez had threatened a gas station employee at a Manorville Exxon station shortly before arriving at Hartmann's home that morning.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney did not soften his characterization of the killing. "This case is a devastating reminder of how fragile life is," Tierney said. "An innocent man on his own back deck at dawn paid the ultimate price for something that he had absolutely nothing to do with."

During closing arguments, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder addressed the jury with barely contained anger. "Total devastation," Schroeder said. "For what? So he could get his [expletive] back? You've got to be kidding. What a waste."

The jury convicted Fernandez on five counts: second-degree murder, first-degree attempted burglary, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree criminal use of a firearm, and petit larceny. The trial was held before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski in Riverhead.

Hartmann was a carpenter who shared the Bohemia home with his wife and daughters. He was 49 years old.

Fernandez and Schor had both been arrested in Lexington, South Carolina, with assistance from the Lexington County Police Department following the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad investigation. Fernandez faces up to 25 years to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced April 8 in Suffolk County Court. Schor's case remained pending at the time of Fernandez's conviction.