Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Baldwin man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the 2019 hit-and-run death of a gas station worker.
Joshua Roston, 38, was convicted by a jury on October 27, 2023, in a trial before Judge Meryl Berkowitz of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony), two counts of Robbery in the First Degree (a B violent felony), Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), Robbery in the Third Degree (a D felony), Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting (a D felony), and three counts of Petit Larceny (an A misdemeanor).
Judge Berkowitz sentenced the defendant today to 25 years to life in prison.
“This is one of the most senseless cases we’ve ever seen in this office. An innocent man’s life ended over $22 worth of gasoline,” said DA Donnelly. “Cemal worked hard to support his family and was doing his job – attempting to stop Joshua Roston from driving off without paying – when he was viciously barreled over and dragged beneath Roston’s SUV. At trial, Joshua Roston was defiant; brazenly and insultingly claiming on the witness stand that Cemal was the aggressor. We hope that today’s sentence brings Cemal’s family some comfort and we continue to keep them in our thoughts.”
DA Donnelly said that on January 14, 2019, at approximately 7:20 a.m., the defendant pulled up to the middle pump of the Pit Stop gas station located on Grand Avenue in North Baldwin and asked an attendant to fill the tank of his Black GMC sport utility vehicle.
After the attendant filled the tank with $22 worth of gas, the defendant then told the attendant that he was going to pay with a credit card inside the store instead of cash, but once in the store the defendant told the attendant that he did not want to use his card, but instead wanted to go to get money from an ATM.
During the exchange, 59-year-old Cemal Dagdeviren arrived for work and took over for the attendant, after which he told the defendant that there was an ATM across the street at another gas station.
Dagdeviren exited the store with Roston and they continued to have a discussion about paying for the gas and the location of an ATM. Instead of going to the ATM, once Dagdeviren’s back was turned for a brief moment, the defendant entered his SUV.
The defendant backed his SUV up slightly with Dagdeviren at the rear of the SUV, with the vehicle slightly touching Dagdeviren. Dagdeviren then walked around the front of the vehicle, knocked on the driver’s side window and grabbed the windshield wiper of the SUV. At that point Dagdeviren was standing directly in front of the car looking through the windshield at the defendant.
At that moment, the defendant nudged forward slightly and then quickly accelerated the vehicle and ran over Dagdeviren. The defendant and his SUV then dragged Dagdeviren’s body for several feet, killing him. The SUV could be seen bouncing twice as the front and then rear tires drove over the body of Dagdeviren.
The defendant fled the scene and eventually turned himself in to police in Philadelphia on January 18, 2019.
The defendant was additionally convicted of stealing gasoline from two other Nassau County gas stations in April 2018 and December 2018.
The defendant was acquitted of one count of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the First Degree (a C felony).
Deputy Bureau Chief Brian Rodriguez and Assistant District Attorney Katherine Kokotos of the Narcotics, Firearms and Gangs Bureau are prosecuting this case. Joe LoPiccolo, Esq. represents the defendant.
