LONG ISLAND – A man’s perception that he was omitted from his late mother’s will appears to have triggered a devastating chain of events that left an entire family deceased, officials say.
A press conference Monday afternoon by Nassau County Police revealed the chilling details behind the deaths of five family members in a quiet Long Island neighborhood.
Joseph DeLucia, Jr., 59, used a shotgun to kill his two siblings and his niece before taking his own life outside his mother’s home in Syosset, just three days after she was laid to rest. The home on Wyoming Court became the scene of a grim discovery when officers arrived to find DeLucia Jr. with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Inside the house, which had been the longtime family home, the bodies of Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida; Frank DeLucia, 64, of Durham, North Carolina; and Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria Hammond, 34, both of East Patchogue, were located by law enforcement.
Police reported that the tragedy unfolded three days after the funeral of the family’s matriarch. It was during this time of mourning that DeLucia Jr. believed he would be disenfranchised.
“The perception of Joseph Jr. was that he was being cut out of the will and was going to be displaced without a place to go,” an official said.
The deaths have caused shockwaves through the community and spotlighted the impact of untreated mental health issues. During the conference, officers underscored the imperative to report signs of mental instability or threats, particularly when firearms are involved.
DeLucia Jr. had lived at the address his entire life and had never lived on his own, leaving his state of mind in question as his world faced impending upheaval. Despite rumors of strife over the will, officials clarified that DeLucia Jr. was not cut from his mother’s will, though he was required to relocate, police clarified.
With no direct survivors of the DeLucia family, the NYPD has asked for privacy on behalf of extended family members, who are left to mourn and reconcile with the consequences of this unfathomable act. The investigation into the murders and subsequent suicide continues.
