RIVERHEAD - A Suffolk County jury has convicted Ronald Thornton of Nesconset of first-degree murder and conspiracy for arranging the murder of his business partner James DiMartino, a 44 year old attorney, in the parking lot of a Korean restaurant in Commack on October 20, 2008.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said he will recommend Thornton receives life in prison without parole when he is sentenced April 14.  “This victim was executed in a parking lot, leaving a widow and four young girls,” Spota said.   “The defendant deserves the maximum punishment the law allows.”

Thornton, 39, was also found guilty of second-degree conspiracy for concocting a plot to kidnap the daughter of codefendant Monique Randall to prevent Randall from testifying against him.

Randall, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, admitting explaining during her plea that Thornton met her in a strip club and asked her to enlist someone to “do the job” to murder DiMartino.  Randall, who will be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, recruited two Queens men, Donovan Raysor, 22, and Darnell Festus, 25, to kill DiMartino for $8,000.

Raysor and Festus await trial on murder and conspiracy charges. 

The trial before State Supreme Court Justice C. Randall Hinrichs began on February 8.