Shoplifting arrest leads to arrest in 2024 murder of New York art dealer

Larry Powlis, 60, a convicted sex offender, was apprehended Sunday after attempting to steal $25 worth of art supplies from a TJ Maxx store near West 57th Street in Midtown. His arrest followed a fingerprint check that revealed his connection to the murder of Egizio Panetti.

Powlis initially provided a false name, Larry Davis, to police, but the ruse was quickly uncovered. He has been charged with murder and was awaiting arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday.

Authorities stated that Powlis met Panetti, a 67-year-old legally blind man with cancer, in Greenwich Village in September 2024 while Panetti was dining with a friend. They subsequently visited an ATM and went to Panetti’s apartment on Spring Street near West Broadway, where Powlis allegedly strangled him.

Surveillance footage reportedly captured Powlis leaving Panetti’s residence wearing different clothing than what he had on when he initially met the victim.

Panetti was discovered deceased on September 24, 2024, during a neighbor’s wellness check after he failed to answer a phone call.

Friends described Panetti as a flamboyant and beloved figure, drawing comparisons to the character Auntie Mame. He was known for his love of capes and was considered “simply one of a kind.”

Investigators had identified Powlis as a suspect shortly after the murder but were awaiting the city Medical Examiner’s Office’s official cause of death ruling and DNA evidence. Sufficient evidence was gathered on September 3rd to formally name him a suspect. The shoplifting arrest triggered the alert in the NYPD computer system, leading to his capture. Powlis has a prior sex offense conviction in Texas.