Two arrested in Shirley fatal fight that killed room renter

A fight inside a Shirley home turned deadly Sunday night, leaving 48-year-old Christopher Martin dead and bringing Suffolk County homicide detectives to 183 Hounslow Road. Police arrested two people a day later and charged both with first-degree gang assault as investigators worked to reconstruct what happened inside the house and whether the violence was confined to a single dispute.

Suffolk County police said a resident of the home called 911 around 7:30 p.m. on June 14 to report a fight involving a man who rented a room at the house. Officers arrived and found Martin seriously injured. He was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in Patchogue, where he was pronounced dead.

Homicide Squad detectives arrested Korey Sammarco, 36, who lives at the Shirley address, and Melissa Fawcett, 50, of Central Islip, on June 15. Police said both were charged with first-degree gang assault and were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip.

The case immediately raised local questions about who was involved in the confrontation and how it escalated. Police have confirmed that the incident began as a fight at the home and that Martin rented a room there, but they have not publicly detailed the relationship, if any, between Martin, Sammarco and Fawcett beyond the fact that all three were tied to the same Shirley address and the same violent episode.

For Shirley, a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, the arrest in a fatal house fight puts a spotlight on neighborhood safety inside shared homes and room rentals, where tensions can spill into serious violence with little warning. Detectives have not said whether they believe the killing was an isolated dispute or part of any broader threat to nearby residents.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392. The investigation remains active as prosecutors prepare for the next court step in Central Islip.