Former Soprano's actor faces murder charge

An actor who once played an aspiring mobster on The Sopranos faces murder charges along with another man in the death of an off-duty police officer, authorities said.

Lillo Brancato Jr., 29, and his alleged accomplice, Steven Armento, 48, both of Yonkers, New York, remained in hospital today in the Bronx.

The suspects were injured early on Saturday while allegedly breaking into a Bronx apartment to steal prescription drugs.

Officer Daniel Enchautegui, 28, who lived next door, tried to intercept the burglary. Although wounded in the chest, he fired eight shots, hitting Armento six times and Brancato twice, police said.

The funeral will be Wednesday for Enchautegui, who worked in the South Bronx. He was the second city police officer killed in less than two weeks. Officer Dillon Stewart was shot dead on November 28 during a car chase in Brooklyn.

“I just feel for that family,” Stewart’s wife, Leslyn, told the Post.

Enchautegui’s sister, Yolanda Rosa, called the shooting their mother’s “worst nightmare.”

She told the Daily News that Maria Enchautegui never wanted her son to become a policeman. “I’m the only one left,” said Rosa, 41, whose sister, Yvette, died of cancer in 1996.

Brancato got his acting break as a 16-year-old in the De Niro-directed film A Bronx Tale in 1993. De Niro issued a statement calling the shooting “deeply disturbing news, a tragedy beyond comprehension.”

Brancato played mob wannabe Matt Bevilacqua in a half-dozen episodes of the 1999-2000 season of The Sopranos. He also appeared in a dozen other films, including Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State.

In 2001, Brancato played former US Senate candidate Rick Lazio opposite former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the Inner Circle, a political spoof presented by the New York media and City Hall, the News reported today.

“At the time, obviously we had no idea he would be accused of such a horrendous crime,” Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel said. “The city has lost a fine officer.”

The Bronx district attorney planned to charge Armento with first- and second-degree murder and Brancato with second-degree murder, said spokesman Steven Reed said. Their arraignment was not immediately scheduled.

Armento is believed to have fired the fatal shot, authorities said.

Neighbours said that Brancato often fought with his on-and-off girlfriend, one of Armento’s daughters.

Armento’s ex-wife, Donna Nelson, said that Brancato wooed premed student Stefanie Armento by boasting of his movie role.

“He would tell her, ‘I was in A Bronx Tale,” Nelson told the News. “I can show you what life is like.”

Stefanie Armento broke off with Brancato after six months because of his alleged drug use, Nelson said. Her daughter changed her mobile phone number three times because of his persistence, she said.

Brancato had been arrested in June for heroin possession and again just two days before the Bronx shooting, after one of Armento’s daughters made a harassment complaint, Yonkers police said. He was charged with disorderly conduct.

Brancato’s mother, Domenica, told the News the he is a “wonderful, generous and gentle son. He’s a good boy.”