Posted on: August 01, 2026 08:00 AM

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Coram man indicted for broad daylight murder of homeless man

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Joseph Norton, 20, of Coram, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree, for allegedly chasing 32-year-old Timothy Stark through a busy Route 112 intersection in Medford and fatally stabbing him in the back. Stark was homeless and well-known to local residents.

 

“I thank the Suffolk County Police Department for their swift apprehension of this defendant, who is alleged to have targeted this victim with zero regard that he was surrounded by witnesses,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Brutal violence as is alleged here has no place in Suffolk County.”

According to the investigation, on July 20, 2026, at approximately 3:35 p.m., Norton was allegedly driving his 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche on Route 112 in Medford when he came to a stop at a traffic light in close proximity to the victim. Norton allegedly made a U-turn, parked his vehicle under an overpass, and then chased the victim across the intersection and through heavy traffic, while repeatedly attempting to stab him. Norton then allegedly pushed the victim’s head toward the ground and stabbed him in the back once before the victim collapsed in the roadway. The victim was later pronounced dead at NYU Langone – Suffolk Hospital.

Norton allegedly ran back to his vehicle and fled the scene. He was arrested shortly after in Yaphank by members of the Suffolk County Police Department. Law enforcement recovered a knife from underneath the driver’s seat, with what appeared to be blood on it.

The alleged chase and stabbing were captured on surveillance video, dash cameras and cell phone video.

On July 30, 2026, Norton was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-I felony.

Justice Pilewski ordered that Norton be remanded during the pendency of the case. Norton is due back in court on September 3, 2026, and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top count.

From DA