Jason Buttchampagne in court to face charges in fatal carjacking

A Deer Park man appeared in court Tuesday to face allegations he beat a man to death during a 2024 carjacking in the hamlet.

Jason Buttchampagne, 25, of Deer Park, was arrested and charged on Monday with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the death of Donald Klune, 65, Suffolk County police said in a news release.

Buttchampagne pleaded not guilty Tuesday at his arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip, according to court records. He was remanded into custody without bail. Defense attorney Andrew Karpf did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Klune was sitting in his 2009 Mitsubishi on Brook Avenue in Deer Park at about 8:35 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2024, when at least one individual approached him, Newsday reported at the time. He was beaten before his vehicle was stolen. He was transported to a hospital, where he died two days later.

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.