Man Confesses Murder to New York EMT

A man accused of brutally stabbing his roommate to death in their Upper West Side apartment callously cleaned himself up after the murder and headed to Yonkers Raceway.

Fredrick Zappulla, a crack addict and chronic gambler, intended to spend the afternoon betting on the track's slots after he killed Walter Walker, 63, on Saturday morning, law enforcement sources said.

But Zappulla's plans got derailed when he ran into a EMS technician, whom he didn't know, at the racetrack and allegedly blurted out the gory details of how he stabbed Walker ten times.

The 51-year-old man admitted he'd flown into a murderous rage when Walker confronted him about smoking crack in the apartment, according to sources.

The two roommates argued in the kitchen, where Zappulla smashed Walker over the head with a frying pan and then reached for a knife and repeatedly stabbed him.

After the murder, the drug-addled Zappulla -- who sells wigs for a living -- called his brother to say, "I killed Walter. He's in the apartment."

Zappulla's brother immediately called 911 as the alleged killer changed his clothes and headed off to the track. Once there, he began blathering to an EMS technician who eventually persuaded him to talk to Yonkers police.

Zappulla was turned over to the NYPD and is charged with second-degree murder.

A 41-year-old man who once rented a room from Walker said the victim met Zappulla in February after he advertised a room for rent in a newspaper

"I warned Walter he was no good," said the ex-roommate, who did not want to be identified.

"I thought he would stiff Walter for the rent," the man said, adding that he and Walker had discussed Zappulla's gambling problem. "He said, 'I'll be fine.'"

The ex-roommate said Zappulla, who is six-foot-four and weighs 230 pounds, could have easily overpowered Walker, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

Friends and neighbors in the building on West 71st Street near Broadway described Walker as an aspiring cabaret singer who loved to watch old movies and play records on his prized antique victrola.

Walker earned a living running by operating a high-end cleaning service.

Republished with the permission of the New York Post.