Sound Beach Man Convicted of Murder in Bohemia Home Burglary Shooting

Christopher Fernandez, 29, of Sound Beach, was convicted March 6 of second-degree murder in the predawn killing of Michael Hartmann, a 49-year-old Bohemia carpenter who was shot multiple times on his own backyard deck after Fernandez and an accomplice targeted the wrong house during an attempted burglary.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the verdict March 10, following a jury trial before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski. Fernandez was also found guilty of first-degree attempted burglary, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree criminal use of a firearm, and petit larceny. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced April 8.

Hartmann, a married father of four, had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette on his back deck in the early morning hours of November 2, 2022, when Fernandez and co-defendant Oliver Schor arrived armed at the rear door of the home. One of the men opened fire, striking Hartmann multiple times. Both suspects fled. Hartmann was pronounced dead at the scene.

The killing stemmed from a chain of events that began hours earlier. Evidence at trial showed Fernandez reported having personal items, including drugs and a cellphone, stolen from him by women in two separate incidents that morning. A Suffolk County Police detective testified that Fernandez admitted using a tracking app to locate his belongings, which led him to Hartmann's home around 6 a.m. Investigators later determined the defendants had gone to the wrong address entirely.

"This case is a devastating reminder of how fragile life is," District Attorney 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, Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder of the Homicide Bureau did not spare words for the motive. "Total devastation," Schroeder said. "For what? So he could get his [expletive] back? You've got to be kidding. What a waste."

The jury deliberated into the night before returning the guilty verdict. To convict Fernandez of felony murder, jurors were required to find that Hartmann's death occurred in the course of a burglary attempt. The case was prosecuted by Schroeder alongside Assistant District Attorney Kirsten Reilly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and was investigated by Detective Frankie Sierra of the Suffolk County Police Department's Homicide Squad.

Co-defendant Oliver Schor's case remains ongoing. Fernandez is scheduled to be sentenced April 8.