Ex-Sopranos actor on cop murder charge

A former Sopranos actor is due to appear in court today charged with the murder of an off-duty police officer.

Lillo Brancato Jr, 29, and his co-defendant Steven Armento, 48, his ex-girlfriend’s father, are accused of killing Officer Daniel Enchautegui on December 10.

Police have alleged they broke into the Bronx apartment of a deceased friend in search of prescription drugs, only for Enchautegui, 28, who lived next door, to turn up.

It is claimed that Armento shot him when he confronted the pair as they left the premises.

Although wounded in the chest, Enchautegui fired eight shots, hitting Armento six times and Brancato twice, police said.

Both suspects are expected to plead not guilty at an arraignment hearing today before Judge John Collins at Bronx Supreme Court, according to the New York Post.

Captain Gerry Beyrer, the court officer handling security, told the newspaper he expected more than 200 police officers to turn up.

Brancato got his acting break as a 16-year-old in the Robert De Niro-directed film A Bronx Tale in 1993.

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