Inset: Vito Dambrosio (Nassau County Police Department). Background: The deli owned by the alleged killer’s family in Bethpage, N.Y. (Google Maps).
A New York man out of Long Island brutally killed both of his parents in a delicatessen long-owned by the family, Empire State police say.
Vito Dambrosio, 30, stands accused of two counts of murder in the first degree, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
The incident occurred early Thursday at A&A Italian Deli and Pizza on Hicksville Road in Bethpage — a small, census-designated place located within the town of Oyster Bay — the police department said.
That day, Angela Pulisciano, 62, the defendant’s mother, and Antonio Dambrosio, 70, the defendant’s father, were working at the deli when their son started a fight, authorities allege.
At some point, the argument turned violent, according to the police department’s homicide squad. The defendant’s mother was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime; the defendant’s father was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
At around 9 a.m. that morning, officers responded to reports about a man with blood on his hands and clothing who was standing in the parking lot of the beloved local eatery, according to law enforcement sources cited by New York City-based Fox flagship station WNYW.
The defendant, soaked in telltale splotches of carmine and crimson, was arrested outside before officers entered the business.
“He had blood on his hands and blood on his clothing,” Nassau Det. Lt. George Darienzo clarified during a press conference on Friday, according to Newsday, Long Island’s major daily newspaper.
There, police found both victims behind the counter. Each had been stabbed in the throat, according to law enforcement.
The younger Dambrosio is said to have stabbed his mother first before turning the knife on his father, police say.
At the time of the incident, the alleged killer was estranged from his family following a domestic dispute with a sibling who took out an order of protection against him in November, according to police sources cited by New York City-based ABC flagship station WABC.
The deli itself is a staple of the community, having been owned and operated by the couple for three decades.
A loyal deli customer relayed a chilling message.
“I stabbed my parents,” Vito Dambrosio allegedly said with a casual air as he walked out past the devoted patron cited by the newspaper.
“I’ve been coming here for 30 years, and this is the worst thing in my lifetime and I’m 97 years old,” the Massapequa resident said.
The double murder quickly scandalized residents of the neighborhood and other longtime clientele, according to WNYW. Residents soon began gathering outside the deli to express their sorrow.
“They would give you the shirt off their back,” one mourner told WNYW. “If you didn’t have money for food, they’d say, ‘Pay me tomorrow, pay me next week.’ I’d walk in sometimes and say, ‘Man, I’ve got no money,’ and they’d just wave it off. They made great food and they were just happy-go-lucky people. I can’t see this happening. It’s awful. It’s really heartbreaking.”
The exact contours of the argument that led to the fatal stabbing are unclear as of this writing; however, police said the defendant has a history of violence and other interactions with law enforcement, according to New York City-based The CW flagship station WPIX.
At around 8:50 a.m. the same day, Vito Dambrosio allegedly went to a coffee shop in the area and slapped a worker’s backside, police say.
The stabbing itself unfolded in the deli’s back room, police say.
“I just seen him sitting by the car, just standing there, sitting there, like nothing happened,” another witness told WPIX. “But when they cuffed him, and he turned around, you see all the blood and stuff on his hands and everything.”
The victims are eloquently remembered in a GoFundMe.
The online fundraiser reads, in part:
For more than 30 years, Tony and Angela devoted their lives to serving all of us. Straight from Italy, they built their deli with love, humility, and pure dedication. They never overcharged, never complained, and never treated anyone as just a customer. To them, we were all family.
Their English was broken, but their love spoke perfectly.
Every cup of coffee, every egg sandwich, every warm smile — all of it came from their hearts.
The defendant himself was also taken to a hospital in the area; he was arraigned on the murder charges from his bed on Friday. He pleaded not guilty during the virtual proceeding and was ordered held without bail, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
