Murder Update: 73 Costar Street

Rochester, NY- The suspect in the murder of 65-year-old Israel Vega at 73 Costar St. on June 8, 2025 has been identified as 22-year-old parole absconder Jaheim Bennett. He is currently in custody on different/unrelated murder charges in North Carolina.

On June 8, 2025 at about 1:45 p.m. 65-year-old Israel Vega was found dead, with several dozen stab wounds inside of an upstairs apartment of a multi-family residence on Costar St. Vega was the owner of the residence and resided in the downstairs apartment. The resident of the upstairs apartment was out of town at the time of the murder, and came home and found Vega dead and called 911. It is believed Vega had been dead for at least one day.

During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that while the upstairs apartment resident was out of town, they allowed an individual identified as Jahiem Bennett to stay in the apartment. It appears Vega went to the upstairs apartment, an altercation ensued, resulting in Vega being stabbed several dozen times. Immediately following the murder, Bennett fled Rochester.

On September 11, 2025 Destiny Tucker was shot to death in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On September 18, 2025, police in NC arrested Jahiem Bennett for the murder. At the time of his arrest he was in possession of a loaded handgun and drugs. He was charged in NC with the murder of Tucker, as well as numerous felony weapons charges and felony drug charges. At the time of both the Rochester and North Carolina murders, Bennett was on Parole for a July 2021 Robbery 1st / Assault 1st conviction out of NYC.

Bennett was paroled on 3/20/25. Within days of his parole release, he allegedly shot somebody in NYC. On 3/28/25, NYS DOCCS issued an arrest warrant for Bennett as a result that NYC shooting. On August 25, 2025, Yonkers City Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Bennett for a Robbery 3rd Degree, which was unrelated to any of the aforementioned charges.

The Costar St. murder investigative package has been turned over to the Monroe District Attorney’s Office. They will coordinate with their counterparts in North Carolina to determine the best course of action for the filing of our murder charges and the adjudication on both murder cases against Jahiem Bennett.