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Man Confesses to Friend's 1992 Murder From Florida Prison, Queens DA Says

By Kathleen Culliton | November 10, 2016 4:44pm

QUEENS — A former Astoria resident who has been sentenced for shooting his friend in the head to steal a bag of cash confessed to the murder 20 years later from a Florida prison cell, according to prosecutors.

James Pacheco, 44, who is currently serving a life sentence for an unrelated murder, wrote a letter in 2012 admitting he had killed his friend William Pabon Figueroa in order to steal $5,000 from the dead man’s home, the Queens District Attorney said.

Pacheco, formerly of Astoria,  shot 23-year-old Figueroa twice in the back of the head in the fifth-floor hallway of a 10th Street building between 41st Road and 41st Avenue on Aug. 26, 1992, court records show.

Pacheco then broke into his friend’s home and grabbed a bag that contained $5,000 in cash, according to the criminal charges.

Pacheco pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Oct. 13 and was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in prison in Queens Supreme Court.

His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.