It seems that the simple wishes of a loving mother on Long Island drove her grieving son to go on a murderous rampage, killing four of her offspring before turning the gun on himself.
Joseph DeLucia’s mother, Theresa, had died a little over a week before he began his killing spree. What he found in her will sent him into a downward spiral.
In her 2007 will, signed by 95-year-old Theresa, it was stipulated how her estate would be divided equally among her four children after her death.
But the division of the estate would also lead to the sale of the house in Syosset, where Joseph had lived his entire life with his mother until she died, effectively leaving him homeless.
Theresa Martha DeLucia, 95, died on August 19. Her will, signed in 2007, clearly stated how her estate would be divided equally among her four children upon her death.
Distraught son Joe DeLucia Jr., left, thought he would be homeless and killed four of his family members before turning the gun on himself when they met to settle his late mother’s affairs.
“I direct each member of my family residing in such house at the time of my death to vacate it to enable it to be sold and authorize my executor to take all steps reasonably necessary to carry out this provision of my will,” reads Theresa DeLucia’s will, which was made public this week in Nassau County District Court.
Joseph would then receive a quarter of his deceased mother’s inheritance.
While dealing with the loss of his mother and now losing the home where he had lived most of his life, Joseph, a former EMT and mechanic, seemingly went berserk and went on a shooting rampage, killing his three siblings and a niece.
Joseph grabbed a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and shot in cold blood his two sisters: Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida, Tina Hammond, 64, of East Patchogue and his brother, Frank DeLucia, 63, of Durham, North Carolina.
After killing his siblings, he shot and killed his cousin Victoria Hammond, 30, of East Patchogue.
DeLucia’s sister Tina Hammond, 64, was shot to death. She still lived on Long Island and helped care for her mother and brother
Tina’s daughter, Victoria Hammond, 30, was Joseph’s niece. She was also shot dead
Eldest sister Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, was in town for the funeral and was also killed
Joseph DeLucia used this 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which he legally purchased, to gun down his family
Officers found Joseph DeLucia with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the front lawn of this Syosset, New York, home. The four other victims were found inside
All four were found shot to death in the study at the back of the house when police entered after finding DeLucia’s body outside.
Ultimately, Joseph committed suicide by shooting himself in the front yard of his home.
“The perception of Joseph Jr. was that he was being cut out of the will and that he was going to be displaced with no place to go,” said Nassau County Police Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, who noted that he had mental health issues.
DeLucia had always suffered from these types of issues and was born with the umbilical cord around his neck, depriving him of oxygen.
But his mental state deteriorated after his mother died on August 19.
He said his siblings tried to convince him that he would be taken care of no matter what, but he didn’t believe them.
“Because of that perception, he decided that day to grab a loaded 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, approached them from the rear of the house and fired 12 shots from the kitchen, hitting all four men multiple times,” he said.
The house is said to be worth about $900,000. Family members wanted an appraisal done quickly because two of the siblings had moved in from out of town
DeLucia opened fire last month at the family’s home on Wyoming Court in Syosset, Long Island
The home is believed to be worth about $900,000. Family members wanted an appraisal done quickly because two of the siblings had come from out of town for the funeral, returning to Florida and North Carolina.
Joseph had lived in the house all his life and neighbors said the loss of his home was unbearable for him.
Fitzpatrick said a welfare check was conducted on the home in 2022, but that DeLucia “showed no signs that we were going to take any action.”
“He had past mental health issues that were reported to us,” he said.
“He was a bit of a hoarder, spent all his money on his tools and stuff. The house was full of tools and stuff that had to do with auto mechanics.
“He’s lived there his whole life, never lived by himself. So you see the mindset that his world was changing into now, at 59, and he was panicking.”