A Fairway employee in charge of bagging nuts at the Harlem supermarket was stabbed to death allegedly by an enraged stockroom co-worker — because the suspect ratted him out for packaging dried fruit too slowly, sources told The Post.
Jovanny Paulino, 25, lost it after learning that Pedro Miguel Payero Valerio, 22, had whined to a manager that Paulino’s fruit-bagging skills were not up to snuff, sources said.
The manager passed the stinging critique on to Paulino’s uncle — the supermarket’s cheese counter boss — and he let his nephew know Valerio was the snitch.
Paulino confronted his onetime friend on Jan. 11, and their argument quickly turned into a fistfight inside the supermarket on 12th Avenue near West 132nd Street.
The brawl then spilled onto the street in front of the trendy Hudson River Café, where Paulino allegedly pulled a knife with a 6-inch blade and plunged it into Valerio’s side, piercing his heart.
Valerio was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he later died.
His heartbroken father, Miguel Payero, returned Thursday from the Dominican Republic, where his son was buried
“I’m devastated. I’m in so much pain. This is the last thing I would ever expect, to have to bury my son and for him to be taken so violently,” Payero said.
“Why would anyone kill him? There is no justification for taking his life.”
Payero described the victim as a “hard-working good son” who was studying information technology at a lower Manhattan college.
“I just want God to deliver justice. I don’t want anything else. I want [the killer] to pay for what he did, but no matter what, nothing will make up for my son’s life. [My] whole family is torn apart,” Payero said.
Following the attack, Paulino, who has no criminal history, contacted a lawyer and voluntarily surrendered to police.
He pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges and is being held without bail at Rikers Island.
His attorney, Oliver Storch, said, “My client is a hard-working legal permanent resident who was living the American dream and now he is living through a nightmare.
“He looks forward to addressing these charges in the appropriate forum,” he said.
