Man, 30, Accused of Fatally Stabbing His Parents Inside the Family's Long Island Deli By Charlotte Phillipp

A 30-year-old man is accused of murdering his parents inside the family’s Italian deli in New York.

According to the Nassau County Police Department, Vito D’Ambrosio was charged with first-degree murder on Friday, Dec. 5, in connection with a fatal stabbing at A&A Italian Deli and Pizza, located in Bethpage on Long Island.

Police said in a statement that Vito allegedly killed his mother, 62-year-old Angela Pulisciano, and his father, 70-year-old Antonio D’Ambrosio, at the deli.

Vito allegedly drove to the store at around 9 a.m. local time on Thursday, Dec. 4, and headed into a back room, where he allegedly stabbed his mother in the throat before also attacking his father, per CBS New York.

Police then arrested the 30-year-old after they found him in the parking lot with blood on his clothing and hands.

According to officials, Vito was also allegedly involved in another incident at a coffee shop as he was on his way to the deli.

“He slapped the buttocks of one of the female clerks in [a local] coffee shop. That was reported to 911. Shortly thereafter, driving right up to where the murders took place,” Nassau County Police Det. Lt. George Darienzo said, per CBS.

According to court records obtained by CBS and ABC 7 New York, Vito was estranged from his family at the time of his parents’ death. In November, a judge granted a protection order against him following a domestic dispute with a sibling.

When he was arrested, Vito was wearing an ankle monitor related to a separate incident, police said. One deli customer who spoke with CBS claimed that the 30-year-old confessed to him before police arrived. 

“I just seen the son walking out and he said, ‘I stabbed my parents.’ And that was it,” Joe Boros told the outlet. 

The local Long Island community has since come out in support of the late couple, and some members have organized a GoFundMe to help their other sons and daughter with funeral arrangements.

“They were good people. This was tragic, really. They had a beautiful family,” Lorraine Decanio, a patron of the family’s deli, told CBS.

“They were just wonderful people. We’ve known them for decades and shopped here all the time,” Maryann Karageorges added to the outlet. 

“For more than 30 years, Tony and Angela devoted their lives to serving all of us,” reads the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $50,000. “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.”

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“Their English was broken, but their love spoke perfectly,” the message continued. “Every cup of coffee, every egg sandwich, every warm smile — all of it came from their hearts.”

Vito is currently hospitalized for injuries, police told ABC, and he is set to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder of multiple victims on Friday, and is next set to appear in court on Dec. 9, per CBS.