By Anna Gustafson
Michael Pecora, a Forest Hills man murdered in his home June 17, was a hardworking employee at MasterCard headquarters in Purchase, N.Y. who continually impressed people with his intelligence and kindheartedness, said friends and colleagues who continued to mourn Pecora’s death.
“Mike was well-respected by his peers and employees,” said Rick Resing, a longtime friend of Pecora’s who now lives in Atlanta, Ga. “Mike was an intelligent, generous, very kind person who didn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
The funeral for Pecora, 38, was held June 24 in Pecora’s hometown of Bradford, Pa.
Alexys Fermaintt, 30, of Holyoke, Mass., admitted to stabbing Pecora four times June 17, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. The city medical examiner’s office said Pecora died from stab wounds to the torso.
Pecora and Fermaintt had met online and had disagreed over the amount of money Pecora was going to pay Fermaintt for sex and for spending time with him, according to the DA.
Pecora, who lived at 105-28 65th Ave., in Forest Hills, was born in 1971 in Bradford, Pa. His parents, Santo “Sam” Pecora and Helen Pecora, still live in Bradford. He was a 1989 graduate of Bradford Area High School, received his bachelor’s degree from Gannon University and got his MBA from the University of Tampa.
He was employed as the senior vice president of World Wide Accounts at MasterCard at the time of his death.
“He was a very well-regarded colleague and friend to many here,” said Chris Monteiro, a MasterCard spokesman. “He will be missed.”
Resing met Pecora when he lived in New York several years ago and said he was shocked to learn of his friend’s death.
“It’s very senseless,” Resing said of the murder. “Mike was a simple person. He was never someone who was in trouble.”
Resing said there has been an outpouring of support for Pecora’s family from friends and colleagues, and more than 40 people have signed an online condolence site at Bradford-based Hollenbeck-Cahill Funeral Homes set up for Pecora.
Forest Hills residents said they were extremely upset to learn of the murder, and Heidi Harrison Chain, the president of the 112th Precinct Community Council,cautioned individuals about the potential dangers of meeting people online.
“It’s really scary, and I think a lot of people don’t realize the dangers that exist out there,” Chain said. “If people want to meet someone they know from online, they should meet them in a public place.”
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 174.
