A 30-year-old man from Long Island stands accused of the horrific murder of his own parents at the cherished Italian delicatessen they operated for over thirty years.
A Beloved Community Pillar Shattered by Violence
Vito D'Ambrosio, aged 30, was formally charged on Friday with two counts of murder in the first degree. He is alleged to have fatally stabbed his mother, 62-year-old Angela Pulisciano, and his father, 70-year-old Antonio D'Ambrosio, at the A&A Italian Deli and Pizza in Bethpage.
According to police reports, the tragic sequence of events began on Thursday morning. D'Ambrosio is said to have driven to the family business at around 9am. Authorities state he first attacked his mother, stabbing her in the throat, before turning the knife on his father.
A Disturbing Sequence of Events Before the Attack
Nassau County Police detectives revealed that the accused was involved in a separate incident just prior to the deli attack. Detective Lieutenant George Darienzo confirmed that D'Ambrosio allegedly entered a local coffee shop and slapped a female clerk on the buttocks, an act which was reported to emergency services.
"Shortly thereafter, [he was] driving right up to where the murders took place," Det. Lt. Darienzo told reporters. When police arrived at the deli, they found D'Ambrosio in the parking lot, his hands and clothing covered in blood. He was taken into custody at the scene.
Officials noted that D'Ambrosio was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of his arrest, a device linked to a previous domestic dispute. Court records indicate he was estranged from his family, and a protection order had been issued against him in November following an altercation with a sibling.
Community in Mourning and Legal Proceedings Ahead
A customer present at the deli, Joe Boros, claimed that D'Ambrosio confessed to the crime before police arrived. "I just seen the son walking out and he said, 'I stabbed my parents.' And that was it," Boros recounted.
Despite this alleged confession, Vito D'Ambrosio entered a plea of not guilty during his court appearance on Friday. He is currently receiving medical treatment in hospital and is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. His next court date is set for 9th December.
The local community has been left reeling by the loss of the popular couple. Tributes and floral wreaths have been placed outside the deli, a testament to the couple's deep roots in the area. A GoFundMe page has been established to support the devastated family with funeral costs.
"For more than 30 years, Tony and Angela devoted their lives to serving all of us," the fundraiser reads. "Straight from Italy, they built their deli with love, humility and pure dedication... To them, we were all family."
Long-time customer Lorraine Decanio echoed the sentiment, telling news outlets, "They were good people. This was tragic, really. They had a beautiful family." The fundraiser organiser added in an update, "Our only goal is to remove as much of that financial worry from the children as we can, because nothing else can take away this pain."
